Biohazard cleanup is a major portion of cleaning and restoration services, and can range from minor cat messes ingrained in flooring to major crime scene cleanup and restoration. While most people understand that biohazard messes need to be left to the professionals, there are some interesting secrets about the biohazard cleanup and restoration industry that are unknown.
1. Biohazard Cleanup and Restoration jobs often are done by former military or law enforcement personnel.
The nature of a biohazard cleanup and restoration job requires a person who can handle difficult circumstances, be extremely disciplined and diligent in the cleanup protocols, and be focused on each detail of every task involved in a biohazard cleanup. For these reasons, Deanna Cioppa for Mental Floss writes that many biohazard restoration jobs are filled by former military and law enforcement officers.
They have the optimal training and experience for dealing with crime scenes and biohazard events.
2. A hoarding situation is full of unknowns, so biohazard cleanup techs need to be prepared for anything.
When facing a hoarding cleanup, restoration technicians need to be equipped to deal with surprises. Protective gear, flashlights, first aid kit, plenty of cleaning solutions and equipment, trash bags, hand tools, step ladder and dumpsters are often used on a hoarding cleanup site. What appears on the surface in a hoarding environment may be very different once piles begin to get dismantled.
3. There is scale for the various levels of hoarding that help cleanup crews prepare.
In the Timesonline.com article by Marsha Keefer, “Dark secrets: Hoarders buried alive by compulsive disorder,” there are different levels of hoarding, and a scale was developed by The Institute for Challenging Disorganization to help cleanup companies understand the magnitude of a hoarding situation so that they could best prepare. The five-level scale is called the ICD Clutter-Hoarding Scale.
4. Restoration cleanup techs utilize music and humorous banter to make their jobs easier.
In her Mental Floss article, Deanna Cioppa explains that when possible, and when appropriate, technicians utilize radio and humorous banter to help them deal with difficult cleaning scenarios.
These coping mechanisms allow cleaners to focus on the goal of complete remediation without getting distracted or slowed down by the emotional aspects of a job site.
5. Biohazard cleaning techs are more diligent about cleaning at home.
Perhaps it is the intense training cleaning techs go through to handle biohazard sites, or that they see the danger of potential contaminants day in and day out, but most techs tend to carry over some of the protocols at home. It is difficult to separate work from personal time, and when it comes to cleaning, that is not such a bad thing.
6. The inspiration behind the biohazard symbol.
The biohazard symbol was created to alert people to the potential dangers of a harmful substance. According to Dan Brown in his article, “The Biohazard Symbol: Meaning, History & Inspiration,” the symbol is inspired by one of the oldest symbols of humanity, the Triskele, showing a being with three legs, which represents invisible forces such as bacteria, viruses or contaminants that act through living organisms.
7. Meth labs are the most dangerous biohazard cleanup job sites.
Due to the chemicals involved, a meth lab site is a highly toxic chemical minefield which can result in risks of fire and explosions as well as dangerous traps set to protect inventory according to Rebecca Grudt in “The Twelve Steps of Meth Lab Cleanup.”
Because of the high risks, cleanup does not begin until after law enforcement does a thorough assessment of the site.
8. Biohazard cleaning for Coronavirus includes cleaning up pet hair.
Pet fur can hang onto Coronavirus droplets, and people should be aware to wash their hands after petting their dogs or cats. Biohazard cleanup crews called in to clean up for COVID-19 concerns know to remove pet hairs on site.
Biohazard cleaning is an integral part of keeping sites safe and healthy. Besides the interesting secrets mentioned above, it is a known fact that this type of cleaning service is invaluable to many. When it comes to biohazard cleanup needs, count on experts like Priority Restoration LLC when searching for biohazard restoration in Philadelphia. If you are looking for Philadelphia disaster restoration, we have the training and experience to handle any job, big or small when it comes to biohazard emergencies.
