Tools and Materials Required for Suicide Cleanup

0
Tools and Materials Required for Suicide Cleanup

It is vital to understand that blood spills that happen after suicide are considerable, meaning you will need professional equipment to handle each step along the way. That is why the best course of action is finding professional cleaners that will handle each step along the way.

Still, we recommend you get familiar with things professionals need for the process, which will help you determine the best one for your needs. By clicking here, you will learn more about crime cleanup.

According to OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, crime scene cleaning companies must have the following tools and materials:

  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Disinfesting towelettes
  • Disposable gloves
  • Biohazard bags with zip ties
  • Mask
  • Eye protection
  • Protective cap
  • Protective gown
  • Heavy-duty disinfectant products with wide spectrum
  • Leak-proof containers
  • Dustpan and brush
  • Biohazard labels

Professional Crime Scene Companies

If you have experienced a serious accident or found a family member after suicide in your home, you should call a law enforcement agency that will handle the crime scene and set the protection and parameters. Since blood is crucial for forensic investigation, avoid doing anything to a scene before the law enforcement agency tells you to do it.

You should know that you will less likely get an opportunity to clean up by yourself after suicide, since the process will directly affect your traumatic response. At the same time, you are not experienced, meaning finding someone who has proper knowledge and expertise regarding crime scene cleanup.

The main idea is to ask law enforcement personnel to help you find the best cleanup professionals who will tackle potential safety and health risks and remedy the entire surroundings while preventing contamination of people and areas. It is important to avoid doing it yourself, and instead find a professional.

As mentioned above, crime scene cleanup requires removing OPIM or other potentially infectious materials from the site, while you should restore everything to a sanitary and safe state. Body fluids and blood fall into this category, since they can feature pathogens such as MRSA, hepatitis, the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV and other harmful diseases.

Infectious materials are commonly found at the crime scene, while the most common ones are blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and synovial fluid. At the same time, you must follow certain regulations when clearing the scene from bodily fluids, including:

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – You should remember that PPE is commonly used at a crime scene with an idea to protect yourself against contaminant and harmful substances, no matter whether they are invisible or airborne. Therefore, you need to wear boot coverings, masks, respirators, gloves, goggles, and biohazard suits.
  • Training – Professional crime scene cleanup company will conduct onsite training for employees by following OSHA regulations. Therefore, they will be experienced in handling bloodborne pathogens, medical waste handling, PPE training and many more.
  • Specialized Sanitation – Regarding blood cleanup, you should know that using water, mop and bucket is not enough. Even though you can clean it from surface, the traces of contaminants that are invisible to a human eye can remain. That is why professionals will approach the process with complete cleanup by using chemicals that can remediate blood stains and pathogens simultaneously.

Visit this link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559327/ to learn more about regulations regarding cleaning and dealing with crime scenes.

Cleaning Blood from Hard Surfaces

  • Equipment – Similarly as mentioned above, you should use protective equipment and material. We are talking about gloves, which are essential, while you may need to get protective eyewear and gown.
  • Removal – The next step includes using a brush and dustpan, which will help you remove broken glass and pointed shards that can break your protective wear.
  • First Cleanup – The first cleanup includes covering the spill by using a durable cloth towel as well as registered disinfectant products that feature wide spectrum kill. However, the main problem lies in the idea that these products are not efficient for disinfecting the surface.
  • Second Cleanup – You should pour high amounts of registered disinfectant products with a wide spectrum onto the area and wait for at least ten minutes. Once the time passes, you should clean from the outside to the center and scrub the area by using durable cloth towel.
  • Third Cleanup – Regarding suicide cleanup, you should know that third cleanup will help you clear the problem from the inside. We are talking about adding more cloth towels and treating the area with spilled blood to prevent potential pathogens from spreading.
  • Disposal – After you finish with everything, you should dispose of all towels, PPE, and contaminants into a biohazard bag with zip lock. You should double bag and tie it up. One of the ways for discarding is by placing it inside the biohazard garbage bin. On the other hand, you should directly go to the waste management area to remove and dispose of everything.
  • Decontamination – Finally, you should use potent and registered disinfectant product with broad spectrum kill to decontaminate equipment that you can reuse afterward. Similarly, as with the area, you should soak everything for ten minutes and wash it off with water.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *