What is a Biohazard Cleanup?
There are different types of biohazards, but all require proper cleanup operations to decontaminate an area or the environment. A biohazard refers to hazardous material, such as toxic chemicals, blood, sewage, animal waste, used needles/medical waste, and more. Essentially, biohazards are harmful to plants, animals, people, and the overall environment. Biohazard cleanup requires proper remediation steps to ensure that complete sanitation is achieved because the stakes are high.
Different Levels of Biohazard Cleanup
Biohazards (biological hazards) are pathogens with different routes of exposure that can cause acute or chronic health issues. There are, of course, varying degrees of risk depending on the type of biohazard you encounter. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) establishes four levels of biohazard safety. Biohazard Level 1 is the most benign, and the threat level increases every tier after that.
Biohazard Level 1 only poses a minor threat to people and the surrounding environment (for example, E. coli); Biohazard Level 2 means that exposure can cause severe illness through direct contact (a good example is hepatitis); Biohazard Level 3 involves pathogens that can spread through the air and can cause severe diseases (i.e., tuberculosis); and Biohazard Level 4 is life-threatening with lack of treatment (e.g., the Ebola virus).
Biohazards are Not Good for Human Help
As you might have discerned from the information above, biohazards are bad for the health and well-being of people or the environment at large. Most of us follow the rules of washing our hands and keeping things sanitary overall. However, there are instances where the public is not equipped to deal with biohazard cleanup.
This is where biohazard remediation services come into play. Some remediation experts specialize in crime scene/traumatic event cleanup where there is blood and biological material, while others focus on sewage and wastewater threats. Just as the levels of hazards vary, so does the cleanup response, depending on the severity and type of contamination.
Following OSHA-Approved Processes for Assessment of Risk and Cleanup of Hazards
The response to contamination events is governed by a process put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Generally, biohazard remediation professionals begin the cleanup process with an analysis/assessment of the scene in order to determine the full gravity of the situation and assess the proper steps for cleanup. Once the scene is properly evaluated and dangers are identified, the scene must be contained—professionals follow OSHA-approved cross-contamination protocols.
Depending on the type of hazard, these remediation professionals will clean, deodorize, and disinfect to neutralize pathogens and remove biohazardous materials (typically, the cleaning adheres to EPA guidelines, and approved products are used to disinfect the area). Lastly, these trained professionals confirm the removal of all hazards before determining that the cleanup was successful.
Keeping You, Your Family, and Your Community Safe
Biohazards pose real risks to the health of you, your loved ones, your community, and everyone who may potentially be exposed. This is why it is critical to remain vigilant in keeping your family and community safe and call in the experts to remediate the situation rather than taking a DIY stance around biohazard cleanup.
