When a tragic death occurs, it leaves family, loved ones, and property owners in a precarious position. Not only do they have to shoulder the trauma of suicide, homicide, or natural causes. They also have to figure out how they plan to make the environment safe and habitable again.
In these cases, it’s best to leave the heavy lifting- removing harmful biohazards and bloodborne pathogens- to the professionals. These tasks require heavy-duty chemicals and trained professionals to ensure safety. But what’s included in after death cleaning services and how can you be sure you’re hiring the right company?
This blog discusses what you can expect from a reputable, professional after death cleaning service. It also examines the qualifications and requirements for after death cleaning technicians.
Valor Technical Cleaning is a trusted biohazard and crime scene cleanup firm located in Denver, CO. Our team of GBAC-certified professionals will be able to provide a level of service that makes you feel safe and heard.
No one wants to endure the tragedy of losing a loved one, especially in a traumatic manner. We provide a compassionate and comprehensive service that gets you back in your home so you can spend quality time with your loved ones without worrying about the logistical components of after death cleaning.
The Importance of After Death Cleaning Services
After a death, the victims’ family and loved ones will no doubt feel grief, and it’s the after-death cleaning service provider’s responsibility to be sensitive to those feelings of grief and sadness. Every property that has decomposition needs to be adequately cleaned and disinfected before humans can reoccupy the space.
Most people don’t understand how awful and traumatic crime scenes can be for anyone who witnesses them, let alone the victim’s family or loved ones. They are often messy, difficult to clean, and altogether unsafe. Withouafter death cleaning services, health issues can surface quickly.
The presence of biohazardous materials makes it imperative to utilize professionals with extensive training. After death cleaning professionals not only understand the empathy required for these horrific jobs, they are experts in their field who understand their duty to provide a safe environment for bystanders.
After Death Cleaning Services
After a death occurs, family members and friends might not be able to discern their loved one from their appearance. After death occurs, color distortion, leaking bodily fluids, and other unpleasant processes unfold. These alterations can occur even if the death occurs in a monitored environment. However, they are more pronounced and accelerated when unattended deaths occur.
After death cleaning services respond to such deaths caused by homicide and suicide as well as unattended deaths. The following responsibilities represent the bulk of their duties and demonstrate why they need specific training and skillsets.
Decomposition, Odor Removal, and Sanitation Services
Qualified after-death cleaning services understand the severity and sensitivity of the matter they’re responding to. They make it a point to consider the privacy of loved ones by being respectful to their emotions by arriving in inconspicuous vehicles. They also keep their plan discrete and only involve parties that are legally obligated to the details.
Technicians’ primary role is to restore the environment to safety by removing any decomposing elements, eliminating odors, and sanitizing the area with approved chemicals.
Violent Death Biohazards
Violent deaths often leave traumatic aftermaths. These occurrences can scar both their environment and whoever witnesses that environment. On top of the emotional distress they cause, they can also cause a pathological issue. The US Center for Disease Control says that biohazardous biological substances pose a serious risk to humans, and when left unattended, these pathogens can lead to illnesses and even death.
The most common pathogens left by violent deaths are bacteria, blood, viruses, toxins, and microorganisms. Trained professionals must respond to these pathogens to ensure the environment is safe following violent crimes.
Natural Death Restoration
Anytime a death occurs at a property after death cleaning services need to act quickly, or else the environment’s safety becomes compromised. When a human body starts to decay, leaking fluids and other circumstances can quickly damage the surrounding area. After death cleaning technicians are the only ones with the necessary tools and expertise to restore the environment to a habitable state.
Questions to Ask Before Contacting an After Death Cleaning Service
What Is Your Experience Level?
Choosing experienced technicians is vital for crime scene cleanup. Selecting an inexperienced bioremediation company can have severe health and legal consequences that cause more heartache and damage. When deciding on your after death cleaning services, choose one with a proven track record.
What Are Your Quality Assurance Standards?
Death cleanup might not be a federally regulated industry, but it still has rigorous standards to ensure the safety of others. Respected death cleanup operations provide workers’ compensation, commercial general liability insurance, and environmental liability insurances. They also have evidence of their medical waste transporter licenses.
How Will You Respect My Family?
No one wants to have strangers traipsing through their home while they’re going through such hardships as a suicide or homicide. Professional death cleanups treat their clients with the utmost respect and compassion. They are direct while remaining sensitive to the clients’ needs.
What Are Your Hours?
Tragedies don’t have office hours. The best technical cleaning operations are available whenever you need them. The best outfits also don’t make their clients wait. They arrive in a timely manner prepared for the challenging environments they encounter.
What Should You Expect From a Death Cleanup Service?
Cleaning a house after a death is a challenging process that can be exhausting for anyone wh tries to undertake the task. Though details vary on the death’s circumstances you should have some baseline expectations of the death cleanup company you hire.
Hospital Grade Chemicals and Tools
Reputable death cleanup services have all the essential medical technology and equipment required to clean their homes. From floors to walls and the furniture in your home, these companies clean your home in its entirety. They use hospital-grade decontaminants to ensure a safe living environment.
Removal of Hazardous Materials
Additionally, technical cleaning companies comply in accordance with state and federal laws. They appraise your property so you’re aware of all the affected items to ensure a smoother transition. With reputable technical cleaning companies, you know precisely what items need disposal.
Insurance Claim Filed
If your insurance covers any work done to your home, the after death cleaning company will be able to file a claim. They should understand all the pertinent details affecting your claim and account for them in their report.
What Laws Affect Biomedical Remediation?
Though after death cleanup isn’t federally regulated, there are a few existing guidelines, regulations, and restrictions that legitimize companies. The following list provides some insight into the most important regulations for companies to follow.
- CDC and NIOSH guidelines for treating blood and biological material treatment.
- ANSI/IICRC S540 standards for trauma and crime scne cleanup.
- EPA, DOT, OSHA regulations as well as environmental agency guidelines for labeling, transpoting, and disposing medical waste.
- GBAC certification for technicians.
Established, experienced after-death cleanup companies prove they comply with these regulations.
What Are Crime Scene Cleanup Technician Job Requirements?
There are no formal job requirements for crime scene technician jobs. However, they should at least have their high school diploma. Companies will typically be able to provide on-the-job training but they look for individuals with the following skills and attributes:
- Tireless work ethic
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Commitment to integrity
- Empathy to the nature of the situations they encounter
- Mental toughness
Conclusion- What Are After Death Cleaning Services?
After death cleaning professionals need to observe specific regulations and possess a particular set of skills. These professionals deal with sensitive subjects such as suicide and homicide and need to understand how to keep composed in high-stress situations.
Because of the highly sensitive nature of after death situations, crime scene cleanup companies need to adhere to specific standards that ensure high-quality service to their clients. By adhering to OSHA and CDC guidelines, these companies ensure they decontaminate all surfaces and make clients feel safe in their homes.
Valor is a veteran-owned, Colorado-based crime scene cleanup company that believes in providing its clients with empathy and unparalleled service. Our technicians are trained to restore your home to a safe environment and ensure as smooth a transition as possible. Contact us today to learn more about how Valor can respond to your call.
