Cleaning up a crime scene used to be the responsibility of the family or of local authorities, now crime scene cleanup is a very lucrative niche market within the cleaning industry. It's also called CTS Decon - crime and trauma scene decontamination - and it involves cleaning up dangerous material.
Cleaning and Removal of Biohazardous Waste
The cleaners' job is to remove any sign of what happened at the location they have been employed to clean, and to deal with and any biohazards that result from such an incident. As US Federal regulations deem all bodily fluids to be biohazards, any blood or tissue at a crime scene is considered a potential source of infection.
Crime scene cleaners need specialist knowledge to handle biohazardous material safely and to know what to look for at the scene. They also need permits to transport and dispose of biohazardous waste.
Work of Crime Scene Cleaners
Crime scene cleaners are not only called to decontaminate scenes after tragedies and violent crimes, they also clean up toxic areas like illegal methamphetamine labs and clean up medical waste. They perform some of the following kinds of cleaning jobs:
- Blood clean up
- Biohazard cleaning
- Specialty cleaning
- Crime scene clean up
- Decontamination services
- Medical waste
Restoring the Bioload
Crime Scene Cleanup starts the process of returning the scene to its pre-incident bioload.
In the context of a crime scene, the term bioload relates to the micro-organic matter dispersed by traumatic action. A crime scene will have a high bioload following a traumatic incident. The bioload will be significantly reduced by thorough cleaning of the scene.
How Did Crime Scene Cleaners Emerge into the Marketplace?
Eddie Evans from Crime Scene Cleanup puts it simply, “Crime scene cleaners emerged because it is now easier to catch a disease from cleaning crime scenes.”
He continues to explain that blood-borne pathogen's have become more dangerous and easier to contract. Therefore, the business field known as Crime Scene Cleanup has grown to serve the needs of the cleanup of blood and other biohazards for residential, commercial, and industrial environments.
Crime Scene Clean Up Technicians
On their website, the company, Crime Scene Cleanup states that they do odor elimination, biohazardous waste removal and disposal along with complete restoration services.
They also state that O.S.H.A. Guidelines and Procedures are always adhered to. Their Crime Scene Technicians are trained in how properly to remove, package and dispose of Biohazardous waste. Bloodborne Pathogen Training is required for all of their staff.
This company’s crime scene clean up technicians have also been trained how to approach and preserve a crime scene should additional evidence be discovered
Sources
How Crime Scene Clean-up Works by Julia Layton
New England Crime Scene Cleanup and Safety Consulting Services (NECSC)
Karen Lotter - Karen Lotter is a journalist and writer based in Durban, South Africa. She has written profiles, features, advertising copy, ...
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