Professional & Discreet Clean-Up Services for Undiscovered Death in Columbus, OH
With Americans having extended families that are located all across the country, and more seniors living alone longer, unattended, undiscovered deaths have increased in the past few years. Many times, it is several days, even weeks before the death is discovered, usually by neighbors or when the police perform a wellness check. By then, decomposition has set in and bodily fluids, along with the overwhelming smell, are prevalent.
This can be such a trauma to a family member. . Moreso, because there may be a feeling of guilt for not checking on the individual and having gotten to them so that the death may have been avoided.
The Hazards of Undiscovered Death Cleanup
The decomposition of a human body is defined as decay, rot, or putrefaction. The body breaks down into gases and liquids. The gas breakdown causes the “rotting smell” and the bodily fluids include blood and OPIM (other potentially infected materials). This, thus, becomes a biohazardous situation that can pose a threat to the health of humans and the environment.
We were once contacted for a death that went undiscovered for 6 months. The renovation company would not work on the house until the home was remediated from all contamination.
Due to the time before discovery, the bodily fluids had seeped into the first-floor sub-flooring and the basement. An untrained “crime scene cleanup company” came in and tore out the baseboards and tried to clean the floor but never got rid of the bodily fluid residues or the smell.
The second untrained company made “flood cuts” to the walls, which is done when there is flooding but that was not the case here. Neither company was properly trained or certified, nor completed complete remediation.
CleanScene was called in and formulated a plan to test the dwelling for blood proteins and analytes using a microbiologist and a mycologist. Upon the results, complete, targeted remediation of the areas was affected, and the smell was eliminated. The renovation company was then able to go into the home and start their work.
This remediation was performed using OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens guidelines (1910.1030) , Biological Safety Levels, EPA-registered chemicals, and our training by the American BioRecovery Association.
Best Practices for Undiscovered Death Cleanup
Crime scene cleanup companies that are untrained can present as great a biological hazard as the situation that they are trying to remediate. They can cross-contaminate areas and buildings, thus exposing their employees and the environment to as great or greater biohazardous conditions as the ones that they came to remediate.
Many companies are unaware that it is illegal to clean up biohazardous situations if your employees are not properly trained in the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens guidelines. (1910.1030)
This remediation situation shows that proper training is essential to protecting humans and making the environment habitable. Therefore, the undiscovered death scene must be remediated by a certified biohazardous remediation company such as CleanScene BioRecovery Services. As the only biohazardous remediation company in Central Ohio, our training and over 15 years of serving the community make us the go-to company for your biohazardous remediation needs.
