By Dave Michael
Cleaning up a crime scene requires a lot of care and diligence.Crime scenes can be very messy, with biological hazards in the vicinity. Blood, urine, feces, semen and drug paraphernalia are all possible hazards that need to be cleaned and removed once the investigation is over. It is vital that crime scenes be cleaned thoroughly so that business or domestic practices can once again be conducted there. States such as Tennessee have their own laws and requirements for crime scene cleanup, though most are dictated by OSHA on a federal level.
Sanitation
A crime scene that has any possible biohazard such as blood or feces is to be cleaned by personnel who have gone through specific blood-borne pathogen training to make sure that the waste material is removed in accordance with both Tennessee and federal OSHA regulations. Gloves must be worn at all times, and hands must be washed immediately upon the removal of gloves. If hand-washing is not feasible on-scene, the workers must use an alternative source of hand sanitizing. All affected surfaces must be disinfected to make sure there is no chance of HIV or other disease transmission.
Materials
All disinfectants should be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as certified for hospital and crime-scene cleanup. Needles found on scene that were not collected as evidence shall not be bent, broken or recapped unless it can be proven that there is no alternative. This helps prevent inadvertent disease transmission through needle wounds. If a needle must be bent or otherwise altered, it must be done with a mechanical device or by using a one-handed technique per OSHA regulations and state law. Containers used for collecting needles or biohazardous waste must be leakproof on the sides and bottom as well as puncture resistant. They also must be clearly labeled or color coded.
Prohibitions
Eating, drinking or smoking of any kind is strictly prohibited during any crime scene cleanup where there is the chance of exposure to pathogens. The handling of contact lenses is also not allowed in this environment due to the inherent dangers of pathogen exposure. Likewise, no food or beverages can be stores in any cabinet, refrigerator or any other area where blood or other infectious materials were present. It is up to the employer to make sure none of the employees conduct any unsafe or illegal behavior at the scene and also that all necessary safety equipment is provided and used appropriately.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
An Encounter With a Meth Lab May Be Closer Than You Think
A majority of Americans sit in their comfortable living rooms and offices and believe that they will never be in a 'situation' that would expose them to the dangers associated with methamphetamines. That's just stuff you see on the news, right? Not necessarily. As they say, being forewarned is being forearmed and you certainly need to be well armed to get through a run-in with meth unscathed.
Almost 12 million Americans have tried meth at one time during their life, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report Methamphetamine Use, Abuse, and Dependence: 2002, 2003, and 2004, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Meth users and manufacturers include people from every lifestyle. Doctors, lawyers and dentists are no more exempt than factory workers or roofers.
Meth labs are encountered in neighborhoods from affluent to poor. Methamphetamine can be cooked virtually anywhere, and commercial buildings, homes, apartments, hotel rooms, trailers, barns, vans, and storage units are just a few of the structures used for labs. Although many are located in rural regions for concealment, meth labs can be found in urban and suburban areas.
The danger of fire and explosions is always immediate in meth lab operations and even after they're dismantled, meth labs leave a poisonous trail of chemical dust and vapors that can seep into neighboring spaces, including adjacent homes, apartments, and hotel rooms. Walls, floors, toys, furniture, ventilating systems, plumbing fixtures, septic systems, and surrounding soil can be contaminated and may require professional decontamination.
Amongst those at risk of exposure are real estate agents, landlords, property managers, potential tenants and homebuyers, garbage collectors, utility workers, plumbers, social service agents, and first responders. Children living in the neighborhood of a meth lab can be placed at risk as well. In fact, thousands of clandestine seizures every year involve children. Visitors or neighbors can be injured by the toxic fumes that vent from meth labs or from the poisonous "cooking" debris that's sometimes concealed outside or flushed into a septic system.
The dangers that go along with meth homes include exposure to cancer causing chemicals that can saturate walls, carpets and other building materials in addition to all contents. Lead and mercury are frequent by-products. Chemicals, such as solvents, may be disposed of in plumbing or just poured on the ground. If not removed properly these can cause various health problems. Respiratory problems, eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea are a few of the symptoms people may experience if they're exposed to contaminants from a former meth lab site.
Encounters with Meth Users, or "Tweekers", may not be a walk in the park either. Meth induces intense paranoia and symptoms similar to OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. Meth users may even save their urine in bottles stashed away in living areas to recover the unmetabolized meth from the urine. Meth users sometimes become obsessive about objects. They might disassemble things like appliances, watches or computers. The objects can occasionally be found in a pile dismantled down to the smallest component.
Most people with OCD are pretty harmless except to themselves. According to police reports, the paranoid meth user can be very dangerous. They're frequently reported to have large, sometimes eccentric, weapon collections that may have large quantities of knives. Dangerous booby traps are often set up to protect the individuals meth stash.
So, how do you know when you're in the presence of a meth lab or potential meth users? Here are just a few signs:
Meth lab signs:
o Yellow stains on walls, drains, sinks and showers
o Blue discolorations on valves of propane tanks and fire extinguishers
o Smoke detectors that are removed or taped off
o Having physical symptoms while inside the house, such as burning in your eyes or throat, itching, a metallic taste in your mouth and breathing problems
o Peculiar strong odors that smell like materials from a garage, such as solvent and paint thinner, cat urine or ammonia o The use of security cameras and surveillance equipment
Signs that property owners should look for with their homes and tenants:
o Renters who behave strangely and are exceedingly thin, have open sores, bad teeth or enlarged pupils
o Extensive amounts of trash with items such as lithium batteries, torn-apart matchbooks, water bottles, cold medicine packs and antifreeze containers
o Stained coffee filters that are not brown
o Plexiglass or other dark-colored cookware
o Glass containers with two layered liquids and chemistry sets
Rapid Response BioDecon recommends that anyone with concerns about potential meth lab exposure ask local law enforcement to run a criminal check on the property and, if living in a rental unit or purchasing a home, request documentation that the property was decontaminated professionally.
Patricia Abney, is President and Founder of Rapid Response BioDecon, Inc., West Central Florida's Specialized death and trauma scene cleaning company. In addition to Biohazard Decontamination, Rapid Response offers Meth Lab Clean Up services to all Southeastern States including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina. RAPID RESPONSE BIODECON is one of only three companies in the State of Florida that employ OSHA Certified Meth Lab Decontamination Specialists who are experts in handling site contamination caused by illegal drug production. Meth Lab Testing and Clean Up information can be found at http://www.FloridaMethLabCleanUp.com
The company's website can be accessed at: http://www.rapidresponsebiodecon.com and they are ready to assist 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Technician's can also be reached at: 1-866-98DECON.
Almost 12 million Americans have tried meth at one time during their life, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report Methamphetamine Use, Abuse, and Dependence: 2002, 2003, and 2004, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Meth users and manufacturers include people from every lifestyle. Doctors, lawyers and dentists are no more exempt than factory workers or roofers.
Meth labs are encountered in neighborhoods from affluent to poor. Methamphetamine can be cooked virtually anywhere, and commercial buildings, homes, apartments, hotel rooms, trailers, barns, vans, and storage units are just a few of the structures used for labs. Although many are located in rural regions for concealment, meth labs can be found in urban and suburban areas.
The danger of fire and explosions is always immediate in meth lab operations and even after they're dismantled, meth labs leave a poisonous trail of chemical dust and vapors that can seep into neighboring spaces, including adjacent homes, apartments, and hotel rooms. Walls, floors, toys, furniture, ventilating systems, plumbing fixtures, septic systems, and surrounding soil can be contaminated and may require professional decontamination.
Amongst those at risk of exposure are real estate agents, landlords, property managers, potential tenants and homebuyers, garbage collectors, utility workers, plumbers, social service agents, and first responders. Children living in the neighborhood of a meth lab can be placed at risk as well. In fact, thousands of clandestine seizures every year involve children. Visitors or neighbors can be injured by the toxic fumes that vent from meth labs or from the poisonous "cooking" debris that's sometimes concealed outside or flushed into a septic system.
The dangers that go along with meth homes include exposure to cancer causing chemicals that can saturate walls, carpets and other building materials in addition to all contents. Lead and mercury are frequent by-products. Chemicals, such as solvents, may be disposed of in plumbing or just poured on the ground. If not removed properly these can cause various health problems. Respiratory problems, eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea are a few of the symptoms people may experience if they're exposed to contaminants from a former meth lab site.
Encounters with Meth Users, or "Tweekers", may not be a walk in the park either. Meth induces intense paranoia and symptoms similar to OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. Meth users may even save their urine in bottles stashed away in living areas to recover the unmetabolized meth from the urine. Meth users sometimes become obsessive about objects. They might disassemble things like appliances, watches or computers. The objects can occasionally be found in a pile dismantled down to the smallest component.
Most people with OCD are pretty harmless except to themselves. According to police reports, the paranoid meth user can be very dangerous. They're frequently reported to have large, sometimes eccentric, weapon collections that may have large quantities of knives. Dangerous booby traps are often set up to protect the individuals meth stash.
So, how do you know when you're in the presence of a meth lab or potential meth users? Here are just a few signs:
Meth lab signs:
o Yellow stains on walls, drains, sinks and showers
o Blue discolorations on valves of propane tanks and fire extinguishers
o Smoke detectors that are removed or taped off
o Having physical symptoms while inside the house, such as burning in your eyes or throat, itching, a metallic taste in your mouth and breathing problems
o Peculiar strong odors that smell like materials from a garage, such as solvent and paint thinner, cat urine or ammonia o The use of security cameras and surveillance equipment
Signs that property owners should look for with their homes and tenants:
o Renters who behave strangely and are exceedingly thin, have open sores, bad teeth or enlarged pupils
o Extensive amounts of trash with items such as lithium batteries, torn-apart matchbooks, water bottles, cold medicine packs and antifreeze containers
o Stained coffee filters that are not brown
o Plexiglass or other dark-colored cookware
o Glass containers with two layered liquids and chemistry sets
Rapid Response BioDecon recommends that anyone with concerns about potential meth lab exposure ask local law enforcement to run a criminal check on the property and, if living in a rental unit or purchasing a home, request documentation that the property was decontaminated professionally.
Patricia Abney, is President and Founder of Rapid Response BioDecon, Inc., West Central Florida's Specialized death and trauma scene cleaning company. In addition to Biohazard Decontamination, Rapid Response offers Meth Lab Clean Up services to all Southeastern States including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina. RAPID RESPONSE BIODECON is one of only three companies in the State of Florida that employ OSHA Certified Meth Lab Decontamination Specialists who are experts in handling site contamination caused by illegal drug production. Meth Lab Testing and Clean Up information can be found at http://www.FloridaMethLabCleanUp.com
The company's website can be accessed at: http://www.rapidresponsebiodecon.com and they are ready to assist 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Technician's can also be reached at: 1-866-98DECON.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
An insight into crime scenes clean up services
Crime scene cleanup companies also clean unattended deaths, damaged environments due to tear gas, and other crime and distress scenes. The larger crime scenes that involve mass murder scenes, terrorist attacks and anthrax and other biochemical damage is also taken care by these companies. Crime Scene Cleanup services may also include bird and rodent infested areas. The cleaners in this case require special experience and equipment than a typical cleaning company’s experience and equipment.
Typically, crime scene cleanups start taking place only after the coroner’s office and other government bodies releases the “scene” back to the owner or some other responsible person concerned with it. The cleaning task can not begin till the police investigation is completely finished on the contaminated scene.
In most cases crime scene cleanup is a small business activity. Mostly, small cleaning services like carpet cleaning or water damage companies add services for Crime Scene Cleanup for diversifying their activities. The prominent and recognized organizations in this field of cleaning consist of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the American Bio-recovery Association (ABRA).
Earlier crime scene cleanup was a loathsome job but today it has become a lucrative business. Crime scene cleanup companies can charge anywhere between $100 to $600 per hour depending on the “level of trauma” and the quantity of hazardous material that the cleaners have to deal with and dispose of.
While a crime clean up service is ultimately a business like any other, advertising and marketing your services can be tricky. In a job that involves tragic death; most companies avoid mainstream methods of advertisement. Some choose the standard phone-book route while many others advertise on the side of their vans. Most of these companies largely depend on discreet options like passing out their business cards at service-industry gatherings, police stations and funeral homes.
An important requirement for success in this industry involves being considerate towards the sensitive nature of the work. There are certain crime scene clean-up companies that provide a grief counselor to the families at no cost while others offer discount to needy people. There are many countries where this type of service is funded by government or by religious organizations.
While some people call this emerging field a social trend of commercializing death, others call it plain capitalism. But for many others it still remains an essential service, a godsend. The fact is that whether you like it or loathe it but if you ever end up with blood and brains splashed all over your bedroom walls, you will definitely be relieved that there is someone you can call to clean it up.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Trauma Cleaning: Without Standards, The Pain Can Keep Coming
by Kent Berg
National Institute Decontamination Specialist
As an instructor in crime and trauma-scene recovery and a board member of the American Bio-Recovery Association, I am often approached by attorneys, the public and insurance adjusters to evaluate the service they or their clients received from other crime-scene cleanup companies.
For the most part, these are just routine questions from people who want to make sure that the service they received was within the normal parameters of good practice. But a few times each month I receive calls that just cause my stomach to knot up and my blood to boil.
With the bio-recovery industry in its 14th year, it is mind-boggling to find individuals who still decide that they are going to start-up a new company and declare themselves “experts” in crime and trauma scene cleanup without any research or training.
It is even more outrageous to find that, although they know almost nothing about the science, chemistry, biology or laws of our industry, they are charging fees that are often four or five times the industry average.
The majority of those operating in the industry today are honest, ethical professionals. It’s the few bad apples in the bio-recovery barrel, so to speak, that amplify the problems tainting our industry.
Example 1: The Hit-and-Run Guys
A husband argues with his wife in their kitchen. As she prepares supper, he grabs a shotgun and, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, blows his head off.
It is still daylight when the police arrive. In order to see better, they open the brain-splattered dining room drapes. Splatter is on the dining room and kitchen walls, but since the body fell onto the vinyl tile floor of the kitchen, the largest amount of blood pooled there.
The family asks the police about scene cleanup, and is directed to a local company. The company tells the family that payment will have to be made in cash prior to starting the job, and that the family will not be allowed inside of the house while the cleaning process takes place.
The family agrees and stays with relatives until they get the call that the job is complete and they can return. The company is long gone, and upon cursory inspection, the rooms look contaminant-free.
It is now night and, in an effort to keep neighbors from seeing into the dining room, the wife pulls the drapes closed. To the horror of the family, the drapes had apparently never been checked and still have blood and brain matter clinging to the material.
The kitchen floor appears to be clean but, when the wife walks across the floor, bright red blood spurts up between the tiles, making little puddles and polka-dotting her shoes.
If this isn’t enough to re-traumatize the family, the wife goes to remove the now-cold pot of chili from the stove and promptly throws up when she sees a 3-inch piece of her husband’s skull nestled neatly atop the pot.
The family contacted the attorney general for their state, who then called me to review the family’s statements prior to a decision on prosecution.
Example 2: The Little-Extra-on-the-Side Guys
A man who lived alone died in his bed of natural causes, but wasn’t found for several weeks. When the authorities were finally called, the decomposition could be smelled from the street.
When a crime-scene-cleanup company was called in, the man’s relatives were told that the odor had permeated everything in the house with disease. Their recommendation was that everything in the house should be removed and destroyed.
The family, already nauseated from the smell, relied on the “professional opinion” of the technicians and agreed to let them remove everything from the good silver and china to the appliances.
In short, every piece of furniture, appliance, electronic component and fixture was removed because they were declared “not salvageable.”
The relatives were then presented with a bill for approximately $40,000! If this wasn’t obscene enough, a few weeks later the family found many of the home’s contents that were supposedly “not salvageable” being sold at a local flea market.
Example 3: The Cutting-Down-on-Overhead Guys
It is standard practice for crime and trauma-scene cleanup companies to dispose of human-blood-contaminated items that can’t be salvaged. They do this by red-bagging and boxing these items and sending them to a medical waste processing facility. This includes dismantling recliners, mattresses, and other large items to fit in these containers.
In this case, a company responded to a gunshot suicide in an apartment. The victim had sat in his favorite recliner and put a pistol in his mouth. The subsequent wound bled profusely until there was no more blood for the heart to pump. This resulted in the complete saturation of the recliner.
In an apparent effort to save on labor and disposal fees, the crew decided that they would dispose of the recliner by wrapping it in plastic, putting it in the back of their truck and then dumping it in the woods of a neighboring county.
All seemed to go well until a few days later, when hunters found the chair and called police. Thinking that they had stumbled upon evidence of a homicide, the police launched a full-scale investigation that lasted for weeks and logged many detective hours before they were actually able to review the crime scene photos of every police department in the surrounding counties.
When the mystery was finally attributed to this particular crime-scene-cleanup company, not only were they slapped with fines for littering, they were saddled with reimbursing the cost of the investigation. Every law enforcement agency that heard about this dropped the company like a hot potato, and the subsequent media attention tarnished the reputation of crime-scene-cleanup companies everywhere.
I would like to emphasize the fact that these complaints are not clients disappointed with a poorly painted wall or an out-of-true vanity top. These are abuses by unscrupulous companies that are subjecting their clients to financial greed, improper disinfection, and re-traumatizing that no one should have to endure.
Could training and certification eliminate these types of abuse? Perhaps a good portion of them, but in the end, it is the honesty and character of the companies themselves that should be monitored. I believe the way to do that is to pursue standards, as well as meeting with our state legislators to create specific regulations for our industry.
National Institute Decontamination Specialist
As an instructor in crime and trauma-scene recovery and a board member of the American Bio-Recovery Association, I am often approached by attorneys, the public and insurance adjusters to evaluate the service they or their clients received from other crime-scene cleanup companies.
For the most part, these are just routine questions from people who want to make sure that the service they received was within the normal parameters of good practice. But a few times each month I receive calls that just cause my stomach to knot up and my blood to boil.
With the bio-recovery industry in its 14th year, it is mind-boggling to find individuals who still decide that they are going to start-up a new company and declare themselves “experts” in crime and trauma scene cleanup without any research or training.
It is even more outrageous to find that, although they know almost nothing about the science, chemistry, biology or laws of our industry, they are charging fees that are often four or five times the industry average.
The majority of those operating in the industry today are honest, ethical professionals. It’s the few bad apples in the bio-recovery barrel, so to speak, that amplify the problems tainting our industry.
Example 1: The Hit-and-Run Guys
A husband argues with his wife in their kitchen. As she prepares supper, he grabs a shotgun and, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, blows his head off.
It is still daylight when the police arrive. In order to see better, they open the brain-splattered dining room drapes. Splatter is on the dining room and kitchen walls, but since the body fell onto the vinyl tile floor of the kitchen, the largest amount of blood pooled there.
The family asks the police about scene cleanup, and is directed to a local company. The company tells the family that payment will have to be made in cash prior to starting the job, and that the family will not be allowed inside of the house while the cleaning process takes place.
The family agrees and stays with relatives until they get the call that the job is complete and they can return. The company is long gone, and upon cursory inspection, the rooms look contaminant-free.
It is now night and, in an effort to keep neighbors from seeing into the dining room, the wife pulls the drapes closed. To the horror of the family, the drapes had apparently never been checked and still have blood and brain matter clinging to the material.
The kitchen floor appears to be clean but, when the wife walks across the floor, bright red blood spurts up between the tiles, making little puddles and polka-dotting her shoes.
If this isn’t enough to re-traumatize the family, the wife goes to remove the now-cold pot of chili from the stove and promptly throws up when she sees a 3-inch piece of her husband’s skull nestled neatly atop the pot.
The family contacted the attorney general for their state, who then called me to review the family’s statements prior to a decision on prosecution.
Example 2: The Little-Extra-on-the-Side Guys
A man who lived alone died in his bed of natural causes, but wasn’t found for several weeks. When the authorities were finally called, the decomposition could be smelled from the street.
When a crime-scene-cleanup company was called in, the man’s relatives were told that the odor had permeated everything in the house with disease. Their recommendation was that everything in the house should be removed and destroyed.
The family, already nauseated from the smell, relied on the “professional opinion” of the technicians and agreed to let them remove everything from the good silver and china to the appliances.
In short, every piece of furniture, appliance, electronic component and fixture was removed because they were declared “not salvageable.”
The relatives were then presented with a bill for approximately $40,000! If this wasn’t obscene enough, a few weeks later the family found many of the home’s contents that were supposedly “not salvageable” being sold at a local flea market.
Example 3: The Cutting-Down-on-Overhead Guys
It is standard practice for crime and trauma-scene cleanup companies to dispose of human-blood-contaminated items that can’t be salvaged. They do this by red-bagging and boxing these items and sending them to a medical waste processing facility. This includes dismantling recliners, mattresses, and other large items to fit in these containers.
In this case, a company responded to a gunshot suicide in an apartment. The victim had sat in his favorite recliner and put a pistol in his mouth. The subsequent wound bled profusely until there was no more blood for the heart to pump. This resulted in the complete saturation of the recliner.
In an apparent effort to save on labor and disposal fees, the crew decided that they would dispose of the recliner by wrapping it in plastic, putting it in the back of their truck and then dumping it in the woods of a neighboring county.
All seemed to go well until a few days later, when hunters found the chair and called police. Thinking that they had stumbled upon evidence of a homicide, the police launched a full-scale investigation that lasted for weeks and logged many detective hours before they were actually able to review the crime scene photos of every police department in the surrounding counties.
When the mystery was finally attributed to this particular crime-scene-cleanup company, not only were they slapped with fines for littering, they were saddled with reimbursing the cost of the investigation. Every law enforcement agency that heard about this dropped the company like a hot potato, and the subsequent media attention tarnished the reputation of crime-scene-cleanup companies everywhere.
I would like to emphasize the fact that these complaints are not clients disappointed with a poorly painted wall or an out-of-true vanity top. These are abuses by unscrupulous companies that are subjecting their clients to financial greed, improper disinfection, and re-traumatizing that no one should have to endure.
Could training and certification eliminate these types of abuse? Perhaps a good portion of them, but in the end, it is the honesty and character of the companies themselves that should be monitored. I believe the way to do that is to pursue standards, as well as meeting with our state legislators to create specific regulations for our industry.
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