What is Biohazard Recovery?

The role of a Biohazard Recovery Technician, can be as simple as used syringe removal, through to thoroughly cleaning, deodorising and sanitising the site where a crime, unattended death or other traumatic Incident has taken place.

Jim’s Hazardous Materials Removal are experts in biohazard recovery, and are trained in the safest and most effective practices of biohazard removal.

If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a criminal or traumatic incident and require assistance, please contact us on 131 546.

We are able to discreetly and correctly remediate the following;

• Used Syringe Removal and Property Sweeps
• Crime Scene Cleaning, including OC (Capsicum Spray )Foam Clean Up
• Industrial Accidents and Traumatic Events
  
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Decomposing Animals and other Remains
• Infectious Disease decontamination
• Suicides and Homicides
• Unattended Deaths

We work to restore your property to a sanitary state with the least amount of disruption. We use state of the art equipment, as well as the most current methods and procedures. We also aim to use Environmentally Friendly Cleaning products and solutions wherever possible.

In the majority of circumstances, this type of cleaning will be covered by either your home owners or commercial insurance. In the instance where an insurance claim is to be made, Jim’s can assist you with the provision of all of the reports and paperwork you will require to put forward the claim.

Regulations & Guidelines

Biohazard/ Forensic Cleaning

Whilst the Biohazard Recovery (also known as Forensic Cleaning, Crime Scene or Crime and Trauma Cleaning) industry is largely unregulated, there are some important standards and guidelines that should be followed.

For guidelines and standards, we follow the principles of the IICRC S540 Standard and the Forensic Operators Guidelines as published by the Restoration Industry Association.

One consideration that must be made is waste management.  In Victoria the waste is regulated by the EPA and is considered to be a Prescribed Industrial Waste. As such the waste must be handled in accordance with the regulations and can only be transported by an approved waste carrier.

The second consideration is safety.  If you are completing a cleaning job for payment, or you are a commercial entity, and therefore must comply with Worksafe regulations.  Generally speaking Forensic Cleaning Projects should be considered as a hazardous environment and appropriate personal protective equipment must be used and all staff must be trained in it’s use.

Hoarding

Hoarding is a compulsive behavior and a recognised mental illness.

People who hoard are collectors of inappropriate things and/ or develop intense emotional attachment to objects that others see as trivial – or even trash. They feel a sense of major loss if these items are thrown away, and often act under the assumption that an item might be useful someday, which compels them to save far more items than the average person.

It must be understood that it is an illness and the hoarder has no control over the compulsion and is often deeply embarrassed by the situation.

When performing a hoarding cleanup it is crticial that the hoarder is properly supported by a family member or carer.  Despite hoarding clean ups often being initiated by the hoarder, it is still often a time of great distress for the person.

Our team are expertly trained in cleaning and decontaminating grossly contaminated properties. Hoarding comes in many forms and hoarders may not only collect “things” they may also collect animals and not be able to dispose of rubbish and their own bodily waste. Hoarders create many risks and dangers for themselves, community and emergency personnel.  For this reason hoarding clean up can also be court ordered or government ordered.

Hoarding properties often present the following risks and threats that must be dealt with correctly.

• Extreme Fire Risk with difficult access for emergency services
• Flea and insect infestation.
• Biological contamination from human waste, animal waste and stored garbage
• Rodent infestation
• Structural damage, with the weight of hoarded items sometimes exceeding the design limits of the property
• Mould growth, particularly where paper and magazines are hoarded

Our Team will expertly decontaminate grossly contaminated properties.  We remove and dispose of;

• Rotting and decomposing food
• Syringes and drug paraphernalia
• Animal/rodent carcasses etc
• Human and Animal Waste
• Mould Contaminated items

Once a property has been cleared of all trash, our team will expertly clean, sanitise and decontaminate the remainder of the property.