Who’s responsible for crime scene cleaning?

The scene of a serious crime or a large-scale trauma tends to become a hive of activity in a relatively short space of time. As medical personnel and emergency services take care of the injured and deal with any deceased individuals, there is understandably very little thought given to the need for a clean-up of the area.

When a major incident occurs, the aftermath is often at the backs of the minds of those involved with the more immediate needs. Needless to say, however, the area itself will need to be cleaned up and, more importantly, will need to be made safe at the earliest opportunity. There could be a number of dangers present at this time.

There’s a popular misconception that the emergency services, in particular the police and fire brigade, will oversee a major clean-up operation. This isn’t the case at all, because the responsibility for this crucial task sits with the owner of the property. In business premises and private homes, specialist help has to be used from the start.

Trauma and crime scene cleaning is a highly complex, and potentially dangerous, operation. There could be any number of infectious issues to deal with. They include viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, for example, each of which involves professional knowledge when removal is required to make the area safe once again.

Sympathy and discretion are hugely important

It goes without saying that dealing with serious incidents can be extremely upsetting for those who happen to be passing by in the aftermath, and for this reason total discretion is required from cleaning teams. In the worst cases, there could even be body parts that require removal in an understanding and efficient manner.

Once the area has been cleared, it then needs to be cleaned, and that involves a highly intensive operation. Decontamination and disinfection needs to be carried out in a controlled and meticulous manner before the area can be declared safe once again. No stone should remain unturned when this process is taking place.

Although it falls to the owner to deal with such a situation, it’s good to know that specialist help is never too far away. There are agencies which can be called upon to provide a complete service when trauma and crime scenes need to be cleared and cleaned. It pays to call on the experts when such a difficult scenario has taken place.