One of the most traumatizing experiences that a person can go through is walking through a door and discovering the body of a deceased individual on the premises. Now you might be thinking that this sort of scenario only happens on television or in the movies, but think again. Plenty of people out there have had the extreme misfortune of walking into a home and finding an injured or deceased person lying around.
Enrique Ramirez is the owner of PuroClean Property Paramedics, an emergency cleaning service that also specializes in trauma and biohazard cleanup. According to Ramirez, this type of situation does not occur as frequently as one might think. This especially holds true in the case of elderly people who live on their own. Often times, it is a family member or close friend who stumbles upon a newly-deceased body during what would have otherwise been a routine visit to say hello. In other (sad) cases, it is possible for a person to pass away inside his home and have nobody realize it for a number of weeks. Finally, some choose to take their own lives, leaving loved ones to experience the emotional hardship involved in discovering a victim of suicide. Ramirez has seen his fair share of circumstances and is also well equipped to deal with the cleanup involved.
Of course, a question that biohazard cleanup workers often get asked is “Who removes the body from the premises?” According to Ramirez, that aspect is always left up to the local authorities. In fact, he actually likes to remind people that should they find themselves in such an unfortunate discovery situation, the first number to dial is the police. However, once the body has been properly removed and the local authorities have given the go-ahead, that’s when companies like PuroClean can come in to offer their biohazard cleanup services.
Many people don’t realize that blood and other bodily fluids are considered a biohazard and must be disposed of in a proper fashion. In fact, Ramirez likes to warn people that in the event of such an unlucky discovery, they should make certain to avoid coming into contact with the deceased person’s blood and fluids. An emergency cleaning service that is experienced in biohazard removal will come equipped with biohazard suits and the proper protective gear. The crew will then work to isolate anything on the premises that contacted bodily fluids or blood, and place such items in biohazard buckets for appropriate disposal. This type of cleanup is actually more complicated than it might sound. For example, in situations where a drop of blood is found on a carpet, the affected piece of carpet must be cut out, placed in a biohazard bucket, and then disposed separately from the rest of the carpet. Therefore, trauma and biohazard cleanup isn’t so much a job as it is a process, and one that must be handled with absolute care.
Of course, blood stains and fluid marks are not the only things that a deceased body can leave behind; there is also the often unbearable smell of decomposition that can remain in the air even after the body in question has been cleared away. A company that is experienced in biohazard cleanup will sanitize the property and use deodorizing products to remove the extremely unpleasant smell.
When it comes to trauma and biohazard situations, employees should be well-versed in compassionate treatment in addition to knowing the proper disposal techniques. A person who has called upon an emergency cleaning service to deal with such a scenario is likely to be the sudden victim of shock and severe emotional distress. For this reason, any company that arrives on the scene should not only know what to expect from the customer in question, but should also be prepared to address the unfortunate client in a kind and soothing fashion. In fact, Ramirez’s employees often serve as unofficial therapists to those who have the misfortune of requiring their biohazard cleanup services in the first place.
There’s no question that the presence of an injured or deceased body can take quite the emotional toll on the poor soul who makes the initial discovery. Fortunately, companies out there such as PuroClean can take all of the dirty work out of the cleanup process. But as caring and compassionate as Ramirez’s employees might be, some licensed counseling is also probably in order.
