What do Crime Scene Cleanup Do?
Some of the more gruesome cleanup work done happens at a crime scene. Crime scene cleanup requires special skill in order to be able to stomach the things professionals see on a day-to-day basis, and then be able to quickly, and skillfully clean up the scene to make it a hazard-free, liveable, usable space again.
Professionals that specialize in biohazard cleanup and crime scene cleanup are a rare breed, and the job they do cannot be done effectively by the average person. Although not every crime scene involves families or regular civilians, they dedicate themselves to their services, ensuring that those they serve have someone compassionate, discrete, and comforting dealing with the cleanup after crimes of various types.
The Work
Before being able to understand what it takes to handle cleaning up crime scenes, it’s good to know what a crime scene cleanup company does, and how their role is important in the restoration of an area a crime has occurred in.
First and foremost, as most would have guessed, crime scene cleanup companies are called in by police forces, or families after the investigation for a crime has completed and the scene has been released. Crime scenes can come in many forms, so a professional has to be ready for anything, from blood and viscera to meth labs.
Biohazard cleanup is a big part of crime scene cleanup. Releasing a crime scene back to a family or business, means that the scene has to be habitable without health risks. Biohazards come in many forms in crime scenes, such as blood, bodily fluids, decomposed flesh, illicit drugs, bacteria, mold, biological pathogens, viruses, etc.
There are other aspects people may not think of when it comes to crime scene cleanup. Since a crime scene may have damaged windows, or structure, they may have to board up the crime scene after it’s been released to ensure they can clean everything, then also leave the space in a condition where weather will not further damage it before it can be renovated.
Crime scene cleanup can also sometimes include unattended death cleanup, where a body was discovered and while there is no foul play, professionals still need to be brought in to clean up the decomposition and surrounding areas that have been possibly penetrated with blood and other fluids. Most professionals will also offer their services for suicide cleanup as well, since it has many similar biohazards and cleaning protocols as a crime scene cleanup; this is where compassion, and discrete professionalism comes into play most.
Training and Background Requirements of Crime Scene Cleanup Professionals
Training is a big part of being a crime scene cleanup professional. It requires training not only in proper procedures for cleaning objects, but also safety requirements to protect the technician and others on-site. Being trained in handling dangerous chemicals is also a must, as drug labs are notoriously dangerous and mixing of the wrong chemicals can cause explosions.
Physical endurance is something any crime scene cleanup professional needs when on the job. Scrubbing, hauling cleaning supplies, all while wearing full PPE and respirators can be extremely taxing on the body. Beyond that mental fortitude is a must, as crime scenes can be extreme and cause mental anguish even to those that are just cleaning up. Regular mental health checks will often be done by professional companies to ensure the wellbeing of their technicians.
Crime scenes that involve families will often require at least some technicians to possibly interact with the family, and that means empathy is a must. While they aren’t there to console the family or those close to the victims of crimes, they must have empathy to not make the situation worse. Respect and discretion are key.
Finally, schedule flexibility is required of any crime scene cleanup professional, as crimes can happen at all hours of the day, and cleanup may need to happen in a hurry. Sometimes technicians will need to sacrifice their nights, weekends, or even holidays in order to get the job done.
Crime Scene Cleanup Guidelines
While there are no official regulations in many places for crime scene cleanup, it’s still important that technicians and professionals follow many standard workplace and biohazard regulations and rules that are put into place by The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Department of Transportation (DOT).
What Do Crime Scene Cleanup Companies Do?
Crime scene cleanup companies ensure that after a crime scene has been investigated and released, that the area is safely cleaned up and biohazards disposed of to open the area back up to homeowners, business owners, or the general public. Without their dedication, hazards from crimes could affect others and cause health problems down the road.