Suicide cleanup is a part of the broad based service of Crime Scene Cleanup which involves crime and trauma decontamination and restoring it to its previous state.
It is a a niche market in the cleaning industry and involves cleaning the biologically contaminated scene of one violent death like suicide, homicide or accidental death, or even the chemically contaminated anthrax exposed site or scene of a methamphetamine lab.
Broadly speaking, crime scene cleanup and suicide cleanup is almost same but there are few exeptions to this rule. Suicide cleanup requires some extra physical effort and psychological sensitivity that the technicians should be able to handle.
Following are some examples illustrating this. A suicide generally involves close range of weapon to body and so in-depth decontamination and thorough cleaning is required. The cleaners also have to handle family members who might be present at the scene searching for answers that why their beloved person decided to end his/her life. The technicians need to remove all traces of any evidence of a suicide so that no remains are present for family members and friends that might remind them of the tragedy. Restoring of a suicide scene also means clean and restore sentimental items that mean the lot to the family of the deceased and requires additional time and effort. On a visual inspection of any suicide scene you will generally find a lot of blood and bodily fluids, but invisible to the eye, a great amount of biohazard contamination is also bound to be there.
The suicide cleanup technicians have to search thoroughly in all areas, even those that can not be seen or accessed easily and remove all traces of them from the scene. Most suicide cleanup services have their staff trained in not only dealing up with decontaminating and cleaning up issues but also about dealing with family and friends with sensitivity and compassion. Since most of such companies work in association with leading insurance companies so they can even help you to bill the insurance company directly thus saving you all the hassles. A suicide cleanup consists of the following steps.
Firstly the scene should be evaluated. Next all contaminates should be located and decontaminated. A thorough search should me made again to decontaminate any traces of contaminates that might have been left out. All types of bio hazardous agents should be properly disposed of. Any microscopic remains should b treated with chemicals and the environment should be treated for odors.
Last but not the least all tools and equipments should be disinfected. But before you attempt to clean a suicide scene on your own it is always better to consult a trained professional first.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Crime Scene Leftovers Pose Problem For Sanitation
Call it the Case of the Bloody Mattress.
City sanitation workers in southwestern Kentucky were recently left with the problem of how to dispose of a bloody mattress put out with the trash.
The mattress came from a home where police say a 37-year-old man appears to have died from self-inflicted stab wounds. The problem came when trash collectors realized they couldn't pick up a potential biohazard, but didn't want to leave it by the side of the road in a residential neighborhood in Hopkinsville.
"This was an area of concern for us because blood is considered a biohazard and not only can our trash trucks not pick it up, but it could be dangerous for people in the community," said George Hampton, a route supervisor for Hopkinsville Solid Waste Authority.
The Kentucky New Era reports that the mattress disappeared by midweek, but sanitation officials didn't take it and were still trying to make sure it was properly disposed of. The location of the mattress remained a mystery at week's end.
Hopkinsville sanitation workers received an anonymous call reporting a mattress, possibly covered in blood, that had been set on a curb outside of a home. That was the concern of the anonymous caller, Hampton said, who said children in the neighborhood could start to play on the mattress and come into contact with the dried blood that might have diseases.
Because there was blood on the mattress, sanitation workers couldn't haul it off with the rest of the trash.
"It raises a question for us about where we take it from here," Hampton said. "Someone has to clean up messes like these and we can't do it."
Solid Waste Superintendent Bill Bailey said sanitation workers aren't allowed to pick up possible biohazards, including blood, from the side of the road. Instead, Bailey said, the department needs to call other landfills to see who will pick up and take the items.
"Sometimes we can process and wrap it in plastic and dispose of it that way. But other times we have to contact a company that deals with disposing of medical waste."
Charlotte Write, a spokeswoman for Stericycle, a national company that specializes in medical waste disposal, said medical waste is generally burned to kill pathogens that can live in dried blood.
"It is important to dispose of all medical waste, especially waste that comes from the body, so as not to spread diseases," Write said.
Hopkinsville Police Chief Guy Howie said the families must clean up the scene of a murder or suicide or pay to have it done.
"It doesn't sound very friendly, I know, but that's just how it has to be handled," Howie said. "Someone has to clean it up and someone has to dispose of all of this, it's just a matter of figuring out who. It's amazing that just one mattress on a curb can raise so many questions."
Someone solved sanitation's problem by taking the mattress from in front of the home. Bailey said sanitation workers didn't remove it, but finding out what became of the mattress is important. It had to be properly sterilized and disposed of.
"We can't just stick it in our landfill and be done with it," Bailey said. "Whether it's on that curb or not, it's still hazardous material."
Crime Scene Leftovers Pose Problem For Sanitation
Call it the Case of the Bloody Mattress.
City sanitation workers in southwestern Kentucky were recently left with the problem of how to dispose of a bloody mattress put out with the trash.
The mattress came from a home where police say a 37-year-old man appears to have died from self-inflicted stab wounds. The problem came when trash collectors realized they couldn't pick up a potential biohazard, but didn't want to leave it by the side of the road in a residential neighborhood in Hopkinsville.
"This was an area of concern for us because blood is considered a biohazard and not only can our trash trucks not pick it up, but it could be dangerous for people in the community," said George Hampton, a route supervisor for Hopkinsville Solid Waste Authority.
The Kentucky New Era reports that the mattress disappeared by midweek, but sanitation officials didn't take it and were still trying to make sure it was properly disposed of. The location of the mattress remained a mystery at week's end.
Hopkinsville sanitation workers received an anonymous call reporting a mattress, possibly covered in blood, that had been set on a curb outside of a home. That was the concern of the anonymous caller, Hampton said, who said children in the neighborhood could start to play on the mattress and come into contact with the dried blood that might have diseases.
Because there was blood on the mattress, sanitation workers couldn't haul it off with the rest of the trash.
"It raises a question for us about where we take it from here," Hampton said. "Someone has to clean up messes like these and we can't do it."
Solid Waste Superintendent Bill Bailey said sanitation workers aren't allowed to pick up possible biohazards, including blood, from the side of the road. Instead, Bailey said, the department needs to call other landfills to see who will pick up and take the items.
"Sometimes we can process and wrap it in plastic and dispose of it that way. But other times we have to contact a company that deals with disposing of medical waste."
Charlotte Write, a spokeswoman for Stericycle, a national company that specializes in medical waste disposal, said medical waste is generally burned to kill pathogens that can live in dried blood.
"It is important to dispose of all medical waste, especially waste that comes from the body, so as not to spread diseases," Write said.
Hopkinsville Police Chief Guy Howie said the families must clean up the scene of a murder or suicide or pay to have it done.
"It doesn't sound very friendly, I know, but that's just how it has to be handled," Howie said. "Someone has to clean it up and someone has to dispose of all of this, it's just a matter of figuring out who. It's amazing that just one mattress on a curb can raise so many questions."
Someone solved sanitation's problem by taking the mattress from in front of the home. Bailey said sanitation workers didn't remove it, but finding out what became of the mattress is important. It had to be properly sterilized and disposed of.
"We can't just stick it in our landfill and be done with it," Bailey said. "Whether it's on that curb or not, it's still hazardous material."
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The gruesome game of cleaning up
By JODI HAUSEN Chronicle Staff Writer
Cleaning up a crime scene is a dirty, filthy and potentially hazardous job, but someone has to do it. And in Bozeman there are at least two companies that do.
When Patty Burrows started her cleaning business about 11 years ago, she had no idea she’d be relying on clove oil and Vick’s VapoRub to mask the odors she encounters on her job. She began simply cleaning offices and homes.
But after finally convincing her sister, Bev Paquet, a paramedic from Michigan, to move to Montana, the two combined their interests to start White Glove Bio-Haz - a licensed cleaning service that specializes in mopping up buildings and vehicles after the unthinkable has occurred.
“I love cleaning,” Burrows said.
“I’ve always loved dissection,” Paquet said.
“And we both have strong stomachs, so we just decided to combine our talents,” Burrows said.
The two started the niche business this past fall.
In addition to crime and trauma scene cleanup, the sisters specialize in sanitizing “gross filth” - places where landlords find rental properties left in such nasty disarray that they don’t want to touch anything themselves, for example.
Ben and Gail Yanker, owners of Buffalo Restoration Inc., have been cleaning up trauma scenes since about 1990, Ben Yanker said. Their business actually started as Buffalo Painting in the mid-1970s and evolved to include architectural restoration. The trauma-cleaning business “just kind of flowed” into the mix in 1990, after a few employees were trained in hazardous cleanup. Now, four of the Yankers’ 14 employees have the skills and knowledge to tackle such tasks.
Staying safe in a gruesome environment
Both companies have specialized equipment and protective clothing they use when attacking the gore and grime, they said.
“You just don’t want to do it yourself,” Burrows said. “It’s a huge health risk.”
Blood and bodily fluids can transmit hepatitis, HIV and other life-threatening infectious diseases, the women with White Glove said.
“When we leave a scene, there’s no more blood, no more bodily fluids, no more odor,” Paquet said. “And odor is a big thing.”
That’s where the clove oil and Vick’s come in.
The women smear the aromatic salves under their noses to veil the stench they often encounter in their work - a long-proven preventive measure employed by medics, Paquet said.
Other gear includes power saws, heat guns, disinfectants, non-porous jumpsuits, facemasks and lots and lots of bright red trash bags - but no mops.
A mop won’t work with bio-hazardous materials, Paquet said.
“You either scrub it out or it (gets tossed) out,” she said.
Not like TV
It can be a challenge, Yanker agreed.
“You see these crime scenes on TV and you see a pool of blood,” he said.
But that’s rarely what a crime scene looks like.
“There’s a lot of energy that gets released” in shooting cases, for example, Yanker said. “It’s a complicated cleanup. If there was an open door, it can cover a lot of rooms.”
And how complex a job is drives the cost, both companies said. They charge by the hour, so the ghastlier the site, the more expensive a job tends to run.
So clean up can cost a property owner from $1,000 to tens of thousands, they said.
But most jobs are covered by insurance, they added.
It’s about helping
But what truly drives both companies to pursue such macabre work is a desire to help.
“It’s the satisfaction of leaving and hoping (our clients) like it as much as I do,” Burrows said. “I love that polished, pristine finished look.”
“Truly what drives us is wanting to help people,” Yanker said. “After a tragic incident, that’s probably the last thing (loved ones) want to do. We want to do it safely to protect the value of the home or structure but respect the memory of the deceased.”
Jodi Hausen can be reached at jhausen@dailychronicle.com or 582-2630.
If you need them:
White Glove Bio-Haz: 877-388-7305 or whiteglovebiohaz.com
Buffalo Restoration Inc.: 586-8109 or buffalorestoration.com
Cleaning up a crime scene is a dirty, filthy and potentially hazardous job, but someone has to do it. And in Bozeman there are at least two companies that do.
When Patty Burrows started her cleaning business about 11 years ago, she had no idea she’d be relying on clove oil and Vick’s VapoRub to mask the odors she encounters on her job. She began simply cleaning offices and homes.
But after finally convincing her sister, Bev Paquet, a paramedic from Michigan, to move to Montana, the two combined their interests to start White Glove Bio-Haz - a licensed cleaning service that specializes in mopping up buildings and vehicles after the unthinkable has occurred.
“I love cleaning,” Burrows said.
“I’ve always loved dissection,” Paquet said.
“And we both have strong stomachs, so we just decided to combine our talents,” Burrows said.
The two started the niche business this past fall.
In addition to crime and trauma scene cleanup, the sisters specialize in sanitizing “gross filth” - places where landlords find rental properties left in such nasty disarray that they don’t want to touch anything themselves, for example.
Ben and Gail Yanker, owners of Buffalo Restoration Inc., have been cleaning up trauma scenes since about 1990, Ben Yanker said. Their business actually started as Buffalo Painting in the mid-1970s and evolved to include architectural restoration. The trauma-cleaning business “just kind of flowed” into the mix in 1990, after a few employees were trained in hazardous cleanup. Now, four of the Yankers’ 14 employees have the skills and knowledge to tackle such tasks.
Staying safe in a gruesome environment
Both companies have specialized equipment and protective clothing they use when attacking the gore and grime, they said.
“You just don’t want to do it yourself,” Burrows said. “It’s a huge health risk.”
Blood and bodily fluids can transmit hepatitis, HIV and other life-threatening infectious diseases, the women with White Glove said.
“When we leave a scene, there’s no more blood, no more bodily fluids, no more odor,” Paquet said. “And odor is a big thing.”
That’s where the clove oil and Vick’s come in.
The women smear the aromatic salves under their noses to veil the stench they often encounter in their work - a long-proven preventive measure employed by medics, Paquet said.
Other gear includes power saws, heat guns, disinfectants, non-porous jumpsuits, facemasks and lots and lots of bright red trash bags - but no mops.
A mop won’t work with bio-hazardous materials, Paquet said.
“You either scrub it out or it (gets tossed) out,” she said.
Not like TV
It can be a challenge, Yanker agreed.
“You see these crime scenes on TV and you see a pool of blood,” he said.
But that’s rarely what a crime scene looks like.
“There’s a lot of energy that gets released” in shooting cases, for example, Yanker said. “It’s a complicated cleanup. If there was an open door, it can cover a lot of rooms.”
And how complex a job is drives the cost, both companies said. They charge by the hour, so the ghastlier the site, the more expensive a job tends to run.
So clean up can cost a property owner from $1,000 to tens of thousands, they said.
But most jobs are covered by insurance, they added.
It’s about helping
But what truly drives both companies to pursue such macabre work is a desire to help.
“It’s the satisfaction of leaving and hoping (our clients) like it as much as I do,” Burrows said. “I love that polished, pristine finished look.”
“Truly what drives us is wanting to help people,” Yanker said. “After a tragic incident, that’s probably the last thing (loved ones) want to do. We want to do it safely to protect the value of the home or structure but respect the memory of the deceased.”
Jodi Hausen can be reached at jhausen@dailychronicle.com or 582-2630.
If you need them:
White Glove Bio-Haz: 877-388-7305 or whiteglovebiohaz.com
Buffalo Restoration Inc.: 586-8109 or buffalorestoration.com
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