10 Questions customers often ask:

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#1 BioHazard Remediation…It’s what you DON’T see that can kill you!

 

That’s quite a shocking title for this article!  But the fact is that it is true, and it is why if ever you should find yourself in a situation with bodily fluids present you should let a company qualified in handling these types of situations remove the hazard.  You can see and feel a fire and know that it is dangerous.  You know instinctively that a gun or a knife is something to be wary of.  But, can a mess on the floor or walls pose a substantial danger to you and others?  You bet it can!

 

Bodily fluids can contain any number of pathogens and blood-borne diseases that do not go away quickly or by themselves.  Some of these pathogens can remain active for weeks or even months after they are released.  They can also be very virulent and resistant to disinfection.  Household chemicals available in supermarkets and home supply stores may not be effective.

 

From the CDC’s (US Center for Disease Control) website comes the following:  “Since it is difficult to determine what pathogens any given blood contains, and some blood-borne diseases are lethal, standard medical practice regards all blood (and any body fluid) as potentially infectious.”  That means that you have to approach a site…every site…with the assumption that there are infectious agents present.  You could risk exposure to HIV, Hepatitis B, C, and now D, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.  You could infect yourself or family and friends.

 

So, the moral of this story is that if you find yourself in a position where the place that you inhabit contains a BioHazard (bodily fluids, fecal matter) do not attempt the clean up on your own. Call in a qualified Bio-Recovery company whose certified technicians will clean, disinfect, and make the site safe for you to use again.

 

#2 Here Come The Superbugs!

 

“Oh no!” you say, “Not something else to worry about!!”  Unfortunately, the answer is yes, there are anti-biotic resistant superbugs out there, and we need to be cautious in order to minimize their spread and impact.

 

The unnecessary use of antibiotics is a key culprit in the rise of drug resistant bacteria that pose an alarming new public health risk.  By overusing the antibiotics in a general sense, we’re making the drugs that doctors rely on to treat illnesses like strep throat, ear infections, and pneumonia much less effective to bordering on ineffective.

 

In these days of recession, business slow-downs and general economic malaise it is difficult to find justification for prevention… to spend money we sometimes don’t readily have on something that we can’t see or feel or quantify…until widespread infection hits and the genie is out of the bottle.  Bio-One will help reduce the risk of infection from these superbugs while working with clients to make “doing the right thing” more economically feasible.

 

#3 Bio-Hazard Contamination…Liability for Property Owners?

 

We live in a much different world than the one in which we grew up.  I know that I feel that way, and I’m pretty sure that most people do too.  Everything seems to be so much more complex and involved than it used to be.  Things were so much simpler.

 

Take owning income property for example; you bought it, rented it out, paid the bills, maintained it and kept what was left over…simple!  Not so today.  I won’t waste your time detailing all the ways owning income property has changed, but I would like to help with some situations that most rental owners may come across during their term of ownership.  Decisions will have to be made that can have a profound effect on your investment and people’s health.

The Bio-Hazards that I am referring to in this article are not the ones that we hear about almost everyday…mold, asbestos, petroleum, etc, etc…ad nauseum.  Yes, they are important and must be dealt with.  The Bio-Hazards that I will speak of here consist of bodily fluids and fecal matter…both human and animal.

 

All bodily fluids and fecal matter are considered Bio-Hazard material now.  There are a multitude of diseases and conditions that can be contracted or spread by these materials.  There are circumstances when they can be considered contagious and dangerous for months after they are released.  A quick google search can reveal the broad spectrum of what these materials can contain.

 

What I’m referring to here specifically is blood, urine, feces and body tissue that can be released during violent crime, accidents, suicides and natural deaths that go undiscovered, also animal and rodent infestations.

 

An example of this would be your very nice and quiet tenant, Brad Pitts, (fictional name) who pays his rent on time, but has not been seen for a week or two…what has happened is that the poor man had a heart attack and passed away on the floor of your apartment.  During this time, bodily fluids become present and contaminate the flooring and possibly the sub-floor.  Poor Brad had HIV.  You have no way of knowing this.  Because of the possible pathogens that could be present in these materials, they need to be handled and disposed of by professionals that have been trained and certified to perform this kind of work.

The natural human instinct is to downplay the possible hazard and assume a “business as usual” attitude toward these types of situations.  We are tempted to say…”I’ll just call my usual cleaners and have them clean it with bleach…”  This may not be the best long term decision if a contagious pathogen is present.  As competent as these contractors may be in their usual routine, if they are not trained in this specific type of circumstance, they may leave the property in a dangerous condition…which may effect them, your tenants, and possibly you!  Taking it one step further…what if this company that did not properly disinfect this material now disposes it into a public dumpster or trash facility?  What if their employees did not wear the proper protective gear?  In this litigious society that we live in, this may translate into liability.  This liability may also be construed as negligence on the part of the property owner.

 

Yes, having a professional perform this work for you is more expensive initially.  It almost always is, but you can be confident that the job will be done correctly. The fact that you hired a specialized company to perform this work will go a long way to negating any alleged negligence or liability.  The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” may be very applicable in this circumstance.  Additionally, any extra cost will be unsubstantial when viewed over the term of your ownership.

 

More good news is that these situations can usually be taken care of quickly.  A professional company will be discrete and will cause a minimum of interruption to the facility’s normal routine…no one wants their facility wrapped in hazard tape and people wearing moon suits walking through the common areas!  This will allow property owners to efficiently restore the property to rental condition in a minimum of time.

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4.  If the customer has insurance with a deductible, how is that handled?

 

Answer:  The customer is responsible for the deductible.  If there is financial hardship, Bio-One can help and make arrangements for the payment of the deductible amount.

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5.  What happens if I do not have insurance?

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Answer:  If you do not have insurance, the responsibility to pay falls to the customer.  If the customer finds themselves in difficult financial circumstances, Bio-One can assist with finding victims or other assistance programs to help the customer with payment.  Also, in certain circumstances, Bio-One can assist the customer with a financing or time pay arrangements.

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6.  Can I do the clean up myself?

 

Answer:  There is no way that people who are not trained and certified should attempt a Bio-Hazard clean up.  There are so many dangerous agents and pathogens that an untrained person could expose themselves and their friends and loved ones to.  It is not worth the money that you could save by doing it yourself.  One of the sayings that we live by in the Bio-Hazard Remediation industry is:  “It’s not what you see that could kill you, it’s what you don’t see!”  You should always use a qualified company to remove these types of contaminants.

 

7.  How can I tell if a Bio-Recovery company is qualified?

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Answer:  The owner should be a Master Technician certified by an industry leading training organization such as ABRA or BOTS.  All technicians working for the company shall be certified in the same manner.

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8.  Do I have to be there/stay there?

 

Answer:  No, you do not.  Someone has to be present to let us in and take care of the paperwork, after that the customer can leave. It will be their option to return to inspect the completed work, or to be notified of completion and return at their convenience.  Our job is to help make these difficult circumstances easier for our customer.  If it is a crime scene, the scene must be released by law enforcement authorities before any clean up can take place.

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9.  How long does the average Bio-Hazard clean up take?

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Answer:  Depending on the conditions at the site, we can normally finish within 3 to 6 hours.  There have been clean ups that have stretched into days, but they are unusual.

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10.  How soon can I use the facility after disinfectant is applied and the clean up is completed?

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Answer:  The facility, in most cases, will be available immediately after our work is completed.  If there is a strong odor present, additional work may be necessary before it is totally removed.

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Useful Information

 

#1 BioHazard Remediation…It’s what you DON’T see that can kill you!

​

That’s quite a shocking title for this article!  But the fact is that it is true and it is why if ever you should find yourself in a situation with bodily fluids present you should let a company qualified in handling these types of situations remove the hazard.  You can see and feel a fire and know that it is dangerous.  You know instinctively that a gun or a knife is something to be wary of.  But, can a mess on the floor or walls pose a substantial danger to you and others?  You bet it can!

​

Bodily fluids can contain any number of pathogens and blood-borne diseases that do not go away quickly or by themselves.  Some of these pathogens can remain active for weeks or even months after they are released.  They can also be very virulent and resistant to disinfection.  Household chemicals and ones available in supermarkets and home supply stores may not be effective.

From the CDC’s (US Center for Disease Control) website comes the following:  “Since it is difficult to determine what pathogens any given blood contains, and some blood-borne diseases are lethal, standard medical practice regards all blood (and any body fluid) as potentially infectious.”  That means that you have to approach a site…every site…with the assumption that there are infectious agents present.  You could risk exposure to HIV, Hepatitis B, C and now D and viral hemorrhagic fevers.  You could infect yourself or family and friends.

​

Is this information meant to scare you?  The answer is yes, to a degree!  But more important than that, it is meant to inform you of the risk involved and help you make an intelligent decision if you are ever faced with a situation where these potential killers may be present.  Only properly trained and equipped technicians who will follow specific scientific procedures should be allowed to work at these sites.  These technicians should be ABRA or BOTS certified.  Bio-One has Master or Certified Technicians ready and standing by to safely and efficiently remove these hazards from your site.

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Depending on the scene, generally speaking, it will only be a matter of hours until the contaminants are rendered safe and removed.  This way the site can be restored and inhabited once again in safety.

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So, the moral of this story is that if you find yourself in a position where the place that you inhabit contains a BioHazard (bodily fluids, fecal matter) do not attempt the clean up on your own, call in a qualified Bio-Recovery company whose certified technicians will clean, disinfect and make the site safe for you to use again.

 

#2 Here Come The Superbugs!

 

Here come the SUPERBUGS, how to deal with them??  Attention: Gym’s, Daycare Centers, Assisted Living, Hotels, Hospitals, etc….

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Oh no!  You say, not something else to worry about!!  Unfortunately, the answer is yes, there are anti-biotic resistant superbugs out there and we need to be cautious in order to minimize their spread and impact.

​

Superbugs are drug resistant bacteria.  These bacteria have become drug resistant mainly because of the over-use of antibiotic drugs in humans and the practice of non-therapeutic use of antibiotics on farm animals.  Yes, farm animals.  When farm animals receive antibiotics in doses too low to kill all the infectious bacteria in them, those bacteria that survive and flourish do so because they are resistant to the drug.  As they multiply and interact with other bacteria, they pass on their resistance.  Bacteria can even share the traits that make them drug resistant with other kinds of bacteria, leading to widespread drug resistance and the creation of bacterial superbugs.

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The unnecessary use of antibiotics is a key culprit in the rise of drug resistant bacteria that pose an alarming new public health risk.  By overusing the antibiotics in a general sense, we’re making the drugs that doctors rely on to treat illnesses like strep throat, ear infections and pneumonia much less effective to bordering on ineffective.

​

According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, almost 2 million Americans per year develop hospital acquired infections (HAIs) resulting in 99,000 deaths, the vast majority of which are due to antibacterial (antibiotic) resistant pathogens.  MRSA alone kills more than HIV/AIDS (approximately 19,000).

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Dealing with this situation used to be a lot more complicated than it is today.  We do have products that can kill these superbugs fairly easily.  No need for the closing of facilities and large scale disinfectant application.  The problem is that once the disinfectant is applied and the areas are “clean”, they are able to be recontaminated almost immediately.  This means that a commercial airplane, for example, can have disinfectant applied and be “clean” of superbugs, it can then be recontaminated on it’s first flight by passengers carrying these superbugs from the location that they are from.  These superbugs are virulent and last for days, sometimes weeks or months on whatever surface they are deposited by the carriers!  This, in effect, would necessitate an almost constant program of applying disinfectant to attempt to insure a “clean” environment for passengers and crew.  Obviously, this is a non-realistic scenario being impractical and cost prohibitive.

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There are, however, products that have residual antimicrobial properties that can help with this problem.  Products that, if properly applied, can continue to kill these bacteria on surfaces for a year or more!  This product has been tested in hospitals, prisons and major athletic facilities and has been shown to work.  Bio-One is a certified applicator of this product and can help with the reduction of illnesses from the rapid invasion of these superbugs.

​

In these days of recession, business slow-downs and general economic malaise it is difficult to find justification for prevention… to spend money we sometimes don’t readily have on something that we can’t see or feel or quantify…until widespread infection hits and the genie is out of the bottle.  Bio-One will help one the reduction of risk of infection from these superbugs while working with clients to make “doing the right thing” more economically feasible.

 

#3 Bio-Hazard Contamination…Liability for Property Owners?

​

We live in a much different world than the one in which we grew up.  I know that I feel that way and I’m pretty sure that most people do too.  Everything seems to be so much more complex and involved than it used to be.  Things were so much simpler.

​

Take owning income property for example, you bought it, rented it out, paid the bills, maintained it and kept what was left over…simple!  Not so today.  I won’t waste your time detailing all the ways owning income property has changed, but I would like to help with some situations that most rental owners may come across during their term of ownership.  Decisions will have to be made that can have a profound effect on your investment and people’s health.

The Bio-Hazards that I am referring to in this article are not the ones that we hear about almost everyday…mold, asbestos, petroleum, etc, etc…ad nauseum.  Yes, they are important and must be dealt with.  The Bio-Hazards that I will speak of here consist of bodily fluids and fecal matter…both human and animal.

​

All bodily fluids and fecal matter are considered Bio-Hazard material now.  There are a multitude of diseases and conditions that can be caught or spread by these materials.  There are circumstances when they can be considered contagious and dangerous for months after they are released.  A quick google search can reveal the broad spectrum of what these materials can contain.

What I’m referring to here specifically is blood, urine, feces and body tissue that can be released during violent crime, accidents, suicides and natural deaths that go undiscovered.  Also animal and rodent infestations.

​

An example of this would be your very nice and quiet tenant, Brad Pitts, (fictional name) who pays his rent on time has not been seen for a week or two…what has happened is that the poor man had a heart attack and passed away on the floor of your apartment.  During this time, bodily fluids become present and contaminate the flooring and possibly the sub-floor.  Poor Brad had HIV.  You have no way of knowing this.  Because of the possible pathogens that could be present in these materials they need to be handled and disposed of by professionals that have been trained and certified to perform this kind of work.

The natural human instinct is to downplay the possible hazard and assume a “business as usual” attitude toward these types of situations.  We are tempted to say…”I’ll just call my usual cleaners and have them clean it with bleach…”  This may not be the best long term decision if a contagious pathogen is present.  As competent as these contractors may be in their usual routine, if they are not trained in this specific type of circumstance, they may leave the property in a dangerous condition…which may effect them, your tenants and possibly you!  Taking it one step further…if this company that did not properly disinfect this material now disposes of it in a public dumpster or trash facility?  What if their own employees did not wear the proper protective gear?  In this litigious society that we live in, this may translate into liability.  This liability may also be construed as negligence on the part of the property owner.

Yes, having a professional perform this work for you is more expensive initially.  It almost always is, but you can be confident that the job will be done correctly and the fact that you hired a specialized company to perform this work will go a long way to negating any alleged negligence or liability.  The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” may be very applicable in this circumstance.  Additionally, any extra cost will be unsubstantial when viewed over the term of your ownership.

​

The good news is that these circumstances do not occur very often.  Additionally, they may be covered by renters insurance or your property insurance.  A quick check with your agent may save you time and consternation at a future date.

​

More good news is that these situations can usually be taken care of quickly.  A professional company will be discrete and will cause a minimum of interruption to the facilities normal routine…no one wants their facility wrapped in hazard tape and people with moon suits on walking through the common areas!  This will allow property owners to efficiently restore the property to rental condition in a minimum of time.

​

These types of Bio-Hazards can be scary!  But they don’t have to be if property owners and professionals work together to remove and dispose of  the hazard in a way that ensures the safety of all involved.

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For a more detailed description of our disinfection services, please contact us at: 845-464-7632 or email: diegermsdie@gmail.com