BIOHAZARD CLEANUP, REMEDIATION AND DISPOSAL EXPERTS IN PITTSBURGH, PA

What should you do if you have a biohazard or Other Potentially Infectious Material (OPIM)?

 

To answer this, you first need to establish if the biohazard is in a private residence or on commercial property.

 

Biohazards are biological substances that pose a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily of humans.  These could include viruses, toxins, or microorganisms and could be carried in the blood, bodily fluids, or on materials affected by bodily fluids.  The CDC categorizes these as Level1 (minimum risk) to Level 4 (extreme risk).

 

Asking a friend or family member to clean up bodily fluids could be dangerous and emotionally traumatizing for them.  If the incident occurred at a business or rental property, employers are required to provide training and Personal Protection Equipment before an employee would be allowed to do the cleaning.  Below is a link to OSHA guidelines on the subject.

 

FOR OSHA GUIDELINES CLICK HERE.

 

Steri-Clean Pittsburgh understands the complexity of cleaning up biohazards.  Blood and other bodily fluids can carry and transmit diseases. One should not handle a blood spill without blood-borne pathogen training and PPE.

 

A large blood cleanup requires special disposal and is regulated by the state.  Local landfills and transfer stations will not allow the disposal of infectious materials.

 

Odors from blood and bodily fluids can permeate an entire house and all of its belongings. Special equipment may be needed to break down the odor-causing molecules and to restore the home to its original condition.

 

Steri-Clean has been a leader in trauma and biohazard cleaning services since 1995.  Our Biohazard Remediation Technicians are trained, experienced, compassionate, professional, and empathetic.

 

Steri-Clean Pittsburgh's Industry-Leading Blood Removal and Blood Cleanup Procedures Conform to Local, State, and Federal Standards.

 

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WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR CLEANING UP BLOOD?

It starts with you leaving the scene until the professionals have done their job.  The loss is traumatic enough without you having to relive it during the cleanup. Steri-Clean isolates the spill removes the risk, disinfects the affected area, disposes of biohazards through a third-party regulated medical waste disposal company, and coordinates everything with your insurance company.  Most traumatic events involving a blood spill are covered by insurance. This includes suicide, crime scene, unattended or undiscovered death, and accidents: residential, commercial, and industrial.

 

The most common communicable diseases are hepatitis, HIV, C-DIFF, MRSA, and influenza. Infectious diseases can be airborne or transmitted through open wounds and soft tissue. Some viruses and bacteria can remain viable on surfaces for months.

 

When blood sits on a surface, it seeks the lowest point. This means it penetrates carpeting, padding, and subflooring whether concrete or wood. Cleaning the surface alone is not enough. The dangers will remain in the underlayers as will the odors.

This industry is not yet federally regulated. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has devised a list of guidelines to minimize the risk of exposure to dangerous bloodborne pathogens like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Staph and Strep infections, gastroenteritis-salmonella, shigella, pneumonia, syphilis, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, measles, chickenpox, herpes and more.

 

At Steri-Clean, we conform to OSHA’s universal guidelines for handling blood and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). We also observe the best practices set forth by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

 

Your safety and privacy are our highest concerns.  In a commercial setting, the liability of exposing employees and the general public to pathogens is enormous.

 

We Handle Blood Cleanup Scenes With Extreme Care and Regard for Your Safety while following proper protocols.

 

The most important part of cleaning up blood is taking the proper precautions to avoid cross-contamination and exposure.

 

Microscopic amounts of blood can still cause devastating consequences.  Improper containment and disinfection during the cleaning process can cause spores, bacteria, and viruses to become airborne which then circulate through an entire building or house through the air duct system, exposing everyone else.

 

Do not attempt to perform blood cleanup yourself or allow someone who lacks the proper experience to do it; you could be making things much worse. If you are trying to clean a public place – visible bloodstains could be very upsetting and may raise painful questions.  

 

At Steri-Clean, we treat each scene as though it were our own property. We exercise extreme caution and care. Your safety is our top priority.

 

To ensure your health and well-being:

 

1. We arrive in discreet vehicles to protect your privacy.

2. We treat all blood and blood-contaminated areas as though they are dangerous. We operate under the assumption that each scene could be contaminated with life-threatening bacteria and pathogens -- and we clean and sterilize them accordingly.

3. Our technicians wear full and appropriate protective gear. Technicians sterilize and/or securely dispose of any gear or equipment that has or may have come into contact with blood or OPIM.

4. Our technicians are trained to be thorough, methodical, and highly detail-oriented -- ensuring that no potentially devastating issues are overlooked.

 

Let us restore your peace of mind. We handle residential, industrial, commercial and public areas with extreme care and professionalism.

 

Find out why customers needing biohazard removal have trusted us for well over 20 years. If you need a reliable partner to clean up after blood loss, injury, blood spills, OPIM spills, suicide, homicide, contaminated crime scenes, etc., we are here to help.