Bio-Recovery: The R&R Interview

by Jeffrey Stouffer editor
July 19, 2010

A continually evolving and expanding segment of the remediation industry, bio-recovery – better known as “crime scene cleanup” or “trauma cleaning” – has made great strides since it first came into being as an organized segment of the business almost two decades ago. Recently, R&R spoke with Kent Berg, director of the National Institute of Decontamination Specialists and founder of the American Bio-Recovery Association, to get his take on where the industry stands today and where it’s headed in the future.

Restoration & Remediation: Briefly, what falls under the scope of work when people talk about “bio-recovery”?

Kent Berg: Bio-recovery is actually a term that was derived from the words BioHazard Cleanup and Scene Recovery. We chose that term because our industry’s scope of work is actually much broader than cleaning crime scenes. We are often thought of as the guys that will clean up anything that is nasty, repulsive, or gross, so people naturally call us to clean up human feces, animal feces, dead animals – usually rotten ones – and gross filth, as in rotting food, poor hygiene, and piles and piles of garbage. Then there’s the decomposed human body scenes, meth labs, the occasional disease outbreak, and anything else that would cause a normal person to stay a hundred feet away to keep from puking.

R&R: You’ve been part of the bio-recovery profession pretty much since before it became a profession. Since that time, what are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen, both positive and negative?

KB: When I first started, very few people in this business knew anything about cleaning and disinfecting. They just wanted to make the visible contamination go away. No one in the insurance industry had ever heard of a crime scene cleanup company, and many adjusters argued that our services were not covered. Today, the biggest changes have been in our profile. What I mean by that is the public, who had never heard of our services, now see us in TV shows, documentaries, movies, magazines, and newspaper articles. We have recognition now, and families are more aware that these services exist.

Another change has been in the performance of the cleanup itself. We as an industry are much more aware of the antimicrobials we are using, the techniques and knowledge related to home construction, vehicle dismantling, and being able to actually render a property safe on a microscopic level.

R&R: From a purely objective point of view, bio-recovery would seem to be about as “recession-proof” as any remediation specialty out there. There will always be accidents, suicides and other traumas that require a professional remediator. What are some of the pros and cons that come along with that?

KB: We know that our services will always be needed, but with a higher profile, we are seeing more and more companies starting up, and more and more fire/water restoration companies adding this service to their menus. Although the demand for our services is increasing, the individual companies’ call volumes aren’t growing as fast because there is more competition for that finite number of incidents.

The pros are that the public will have resources to respond if they need them, and that companies will have to step up their game in service quality and marketing. The cons are that the majority of these new companies are not attending training, not getting any type of certification beyond a half-day OSHA bloodborne pathogen course. It’s these companies that are dragging the good companies down when the public hears about a company throwing a bloody mattress in a dumpster, etc.


R&R: Since hindsight is 20/20, if there was one thing you would go back and change, as far as how you operated your business, what is it, and what would you do differently?

KB: I would have marketed harder. I assumed that people would need my service and seek me out. That was true for a while, but when competitors popped up with their marketing programs, the public chose who was freshest in their minds. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but one I will never forget.

R&R: Technologically speaking, what areas have seen the greatest advances? Chemicals? PPE? Containment?

KB: One of the advancements has been our recognition as a legitimate industry. Today, vendors of specialty restoration products are targeting our industry. Kimberly-Clark markets their suits with the “Recommended by the American Bio-Recovery Association” seal on them. Other products used in our industry have similar tie-ins with our trade association or at the very least mention in their advertising that their product is great for cleaning crime and trauma scenes. Even the insurance industry no longer recognizes us under their “janitorial service” heading, opting now for a “crime scene cleanup” designation for insurance coverage.

We are also seeing new technology in the form of new disinfectants, odor-remediation technology, and devices to actually measure how clean a surface really is. The National Organization for Victim Assistance is putting on a training program this fall for teaching all interested bio-recovery technicians how to better interact with victims and their families. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has sought out input so they may better understand our industry.

However, I believe the most important advancement for the industry has been the formation of training centers. Legitimate training programs help make sure that any technician who wants to be the best at their profession can attend a school that specializes in that field. By establishing a standard training and certification program, students graduate far ahead of their competitors and benefit from years of experience from seasoned industry professionals, scientists, chemists, and pathologists that helped to design the curriculum.


Jeffrey Stouffer editor
stoufferj@bnpmedia.com

Jeffrey Stouffer is editor of Restoration & Remediation magazine

New Rock Hill company cleans crime scenes, removes biohazards

It's a dirty job - even gruesome - but they'll do it
By Jason Foster - jfoster@heraldonline.com


Blood, vomit and all manner of bacteria and disease keep Dale Sullivan and Gerry Moore in business.

Crime scene clean-up. A dead body left unattended for weeks. A house in squalor and crawling with disease. These are the assignments of BioClean Remediation Service, a new Rock Hill company that specializes in the cleaning and removal of biohazards in the Charlotte region.

A dirty job, yes. But it's also one Sullivan and Moore hope to use to educate the public about just how unclean normal homes, schools and offices are, and about how people's routine cleaning practices probably aren't doing much good.

"If their eyes can't see it, they think it's clean. But, biologically, it's not clean," said Sullivan, 49, who started the company in March after becoming certified by the National Institute of Decontamination Specialists. "You didn't kill the pathogen, you just killed what your eyes can see."

BioClean is the only company of its kind in York County. Sullivan got the idea after seeing frequent news reports of E.coli, H1N1 and other outbreaks. He researched the field and found there was a market locally for biohazard specialists. He went through the required training and made contacts with area police departments, coroners and other agencies that work cases where such hazards might come into play.

Equipped with a nondescript pick-up truck and trailer - which carries equipment and supplies and doubles as a mobile office - Sullivan, Moore and other workers are available 24 hours a day to show up and quietly go about the dirty work.

Despite the potential for spectacle, BioClean must be as low-key as possible.

"They call it a clandestine service," Sullivan said. "Homeowners don't want advertising at their home. They don't want the neighbors to know. We try to be mindful of that."

The company follows OSHA requirements for handling biohazards and also is permitted by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control to handle and dispose of infectious waste.

The waste that's collected is sent to a company near Greenville and incinerated.

So far, the company has dealt mostly with crime and suicide scenes, cleaning up blood and other things most people hope they never see.

"We have to leave something as if it never happened, because we can't leave mental or physical trauma for the homeowner," Sullivan said.

Though the workers try to be compassionate to the circumstances, they can't get too drawn in to the human emotions caused by the situation.

"You can't let your mind start wandering ... 'This poor guy,'" said Moore, 62, the company's general manager. "You've got to focus on what your job is. You've got to do things right."

That's because there are usually health concerns to deal with. Germs and bacteria that form on a dead body, dead animal or from unkempt conditions can quickly colonize and lead to big trouble. Some pathogens, if given enough time, can eat through wood and other materials and require remodeling on a home, Sullivan said.

Thus, there's a method to cleaning these hazards.

Heavy-duty chemicals, ones only available to hospitals and other permitted companies, are needed to kill some pathogens, such as HIV. Other times, special equipment is needed - such as a steamer that heats vapors to 280 degrees to kill every bit of bacteria in a building.

In other words, despite popular thought, a dab of Clorox won't cut it.

"It ain't just spray and wipe," Sullivan said.

That idea goes beyond the hardcore clean-ups. The germs and other harmful bacteria - including E.coli, staphylococcus, and others - on desks, computers and other objects can pose a serious health threat if not dealt with properly, Sullivan and Moore say.

"That's the side of the business we really want to grow and expand," Moore said.

Most cleaning at restaurants, hotels and other public buildings is often done hastily, not giving chemicals the right amount of time to be effective, the men say. The "dwell time" of chemical cleaners is generally found on the back of the bottle and is usually around 10 minutes.

Not giving the chemicals time to work is almost like not having cleaned at all.

"We're just living in this world of germs and bacteria that's all around us," Sullivan said. "We've just got to get people educated."

The company isn't strictly about working on gruesome scenes. BioClean also offers odor abatement, mold remediation, medical waste removal, vehicle contamination clean-up and services for businesses, law enforcement agencies, schools and other groups.

They might contract with a hotel to remove the stench of smoke from a nonsmoking room, or work with a homeowner trying to sell a house to eliminate seemingly permanent smells caused by years of owning pets. They can even give clients a choice of new smells, which will last for around six months.

"If it needs to be cleaned," Sullivan said, "we can clean it."

The company's slogan: "It's not clean until it's BioCleaned."

An insight into crime scenes clean up services

Crime scene cleanup companies also clean unattended deaths, damaged environments due to tear gas, and other crime and distress scenes. The larger crime scenes that involve mass murder scenes, terrorist attacks and anthrax and other biochemical damage is also taken care by these companies. Crime Scene Cleanup services may also include bird and rodent infested areas. The cleaners in this case require special experience and equipment than a typical cleaning company’s experience and equipment.

Typically, crime scene cleanups start taking place only after the coroner’s office and other government bodies releases the “scene” back to the owner or some other responsible person concerned with it. The cleaning task can not begin till the police investigation is completely finished on the contaminated scene.

In most cases crime scene cleanup is a small business activity. Mostly, small cleaning services like carpet cleaning or water damage companies add services for Crime Scene Cleanup for diversifying their activities. The prominent and recognized organizations in this field of cleaning consist of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the American Bio-recovery Association (ABRA).

Earlier crime scene cleanup was a loathsome job but today it has become a lucrative business. Crime scene cleanup companies can charge anywhere between $100 to $600 per hour depending on the “level of trauma” and the quantity of hazardous material that the cleaners have to deal with and dispose of.

While a crime clean up service is ultimately a business like any other, advertising and marketing your services can be tricky. In a job that involves tragic death; most companies avoid mainstream methods of advertisement. Some choose the standard phone-book route while many others advertise on the side of their vans. Most of these companies largely depend on discreet options like passing out their business cards at service-industry gatherings, police stations and funeral homes.

An important requirement for success in this industry involves being considerate towards the sensitive nature of the work. There are certain crime scene clean-up companies that provide a grief counselor to the families at no cost while others offer discount to needy people. There are many countries where this type of service is funded by government or by religious organizations.

While some people call this emerging field a social trend of commercializing death, others call it plain capitalism. But for many others it still remains an essential service, a godsend. The fact is that whether you like it or loathe it but if you ever end up with blood and brains splashed all over your bedroom walls, you will definitely be relieved that there is someone you can call to clean it up.

Cleanup completed at Civic Association

April 5, 2009

Cleanup has been completed at the American Civic Association building in Binghamton, where a gunman killed 13 people and injured four before taking his own life Friday.

The American Bio-Recovery Association, a non-profit international association of crime and trauma scene professionals, said Sunday that the bio-recovery cleaning was complete. The Ipswich, Mass.-based group provided the service at no cost.

Two member companies, Disaster Clean Up of Endwell and the Bio-Recovery Corporation of New York City, donated labor and supplies to remediate the scene with a crew of six technicians.

Bio-Recovery Corporation Aids In Binghamton Crime Scene Cleanup

PRESS RELEASE
April 5th 2009

Bio-Recovery Corporation of New York City and Diaster Scene Cleanup of Endwell, NY responded to the American Civic Association on April 5th 2009 at the request of the American Bio-Recovery Association to aid the American Civic Association and the entire Binghamton community with the cleanup of the crime scene left in the aftermath of Fridays multiple homicide, suicide at their offices located at 131 Front St Binghamton, NY.

At the request of Dale Cillian, President of the non profit American Bio-Recovery Association (ABRA), the two named companies above provided all the labor and equipment to complete this cleanup in one day at no cost to the American Civic Association. "I couldn't have done this without you guys," stated Andrew Baranoski, Executive Director of the non-profit American Civic Association.

The American Bio Recovery Association, an international association of Crime & Trauma Scene Cleanup professionals strives to make these services available to all that require it throughout the United States.