Biohazard cleanup comes first. After a death, an injury, a sewage backup or another event that leaves blood or other infectious material in a home, the scene must be released and that material removed and disinfected before water, fire or mold restoration begins. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company for either kind of work; we do not do the cleanup or the restoration ourselves, and you hire the company directly.
A biohazard is biological material, such as blood or sewage, that can carry germs that make people sick. Restoration is the work of drying, cleaning, repairing and rebuilding a home after water, fire or mold damage. The two jobs can meet in the same house, and knowing the order helps protect the people working there and keeps you from paying for the same area twice.
Why biohazard work comes first
If someone has died or been hurt, police or the death investigation office control the home until they are finished. Scene release means those authorities have told the family or owner they may go back in and start cleanup. A medical examiner or coroner is the county official who investigates certain deaths and takes charge of the body. If you are unsure who has the case, ask: King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties each have a Medical Examiner’s Office, while Thurston County uses the Thurston County Coroner’s Office, Mason County uses the Mason County Coroner, and in Jefferson County the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office serves as coroner.
After release, the cleanup company you hire removes contaminated materials, then cleans and disinfects. Disinfection means using a product that kills germs on a surface, not just wiping it clean. Porous materials, things that soak up liquid such as carpet pad, drywall and upholstered furniture, may need to be cut out rather than cleaned. Only then should a restoration crew dry walls, replace flooring or rebuild.
Biomedical waste is the legal term for certain regulated waste, including discarded blood and needles. Washington’s rules for companies that collect and haul it require it to be kept separate from other solid waste until it is treated or disposed of, so ask the cleanup company how it will package and remove that material.
Where the jobs overlap
Sewage backups and septic failures
A sewage backup is water damage and a biohazard at once. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) says to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage. For septic or sewage questions, your county health department is a place to start:
- King County: Public Health – Seattle & King County2 has its On-site Sewage/Septic System Program and a page on Sewage releases in Seattle and King County.
- Pierce County: the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3 has a Septic System Failure page.
- Snohomish County: the Snohomish County Health Department4 has Septic and Report a Sewage Complaint pages. It does not investigate indoor sewage spills and offers Guidelines for Cleaning Indoor Sewage Spills instead.
- Kitsap County: the Kitsap Public Health District has Drinking Water & Onsite Sewage and Water Pollution Identification & Correction programs.
- Thurston County: the Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department has a Septic Systems page.
- Mason County: Mason County Public Health and Human Services runs the On-Site Sewage System Program, which handles complaints and other sewage-related violations.
- Jefferson County: Jefferson County Public Health has an On-Site Sewage Program.
Fire scenes
A fire may also involve a death or injury. When it does, investigators come first, biohazard cleanup follows release, and fire and smoke restoration comes after that. Water used to put out the fire can add water damage to the same rooms.
Homes affected by long-term hoarding
When a person has lived with hoarding for a long time, belongings can hide leaks or damp areas. As items are sorted and the person living in the home decides what to let go, hidden water damage or mold may come to light. Remediation means removing a hazard such as mold and correcting what caused it. DOH1 says to hire a professional for mold in hidden places, notes that even dry, dead mold can cause health problems, and advises against painting or caulking over it.
County mold information varies. Public Health – Seattle & King County2 has a Mold education page and does not conduct mold assessments. Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3 has a Mold page under Healthy Homes, and Kitsap Public Health District has a Mold page. Snohomish County Health Department4 offers a Mold & Air Quality information page but does not identify or test mold. Thurston County’s Mold & Ventilation page is information only, with no complaints, testing or inspections. Mason County’s page refers residents to the DOH indoor air quality phone line.
Rebuilding and permits
For example, Bremerton and Port Orchard are incorporated cities, while Silverdale and Kingston are unincorporated communities in Kitsap County; Belfair, Port Hadlock and Port Ludlow are also unincorporated. Before walls, floors or other materials are torn out, the owner must arrange a good faith asbestos inspection by an accredited inspector, so ask the restoration company whether one has been done.
Handoffs and insurance
The biohazard company and the restoration company may be different businesses. Ask each for a written description of its work and how it will hand the home to the next company. Ask, too, whether it will work with your insurer; do not assume it will.
Your claim may treat biohazard cleanup and restoration as separate items. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. If the loss involved a crime, keep a copy of the police report. The OIC also says you may choose your own contractor for covered repairs, and that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights. If the family must stay elsewhere during repairs, ask whether your policy has loss of use coverage.
Usually covered: Many homeowner policies offer limited mold coverage, but only when the mold comes from a covered loss, like a pipe that suddenly bursts. If your policy has none, you may be able to add it, but it is usually very limited, says the Insurance Commissioner’s page on leaks and mold5.
Usually not covered: Standard homeowner policies do not cover damage and mold from gradual water leaks, says the Insurance Commissioner’s page on being underinsured. Insurers generally treat water damage that develops over more than a couple of days as a maintenance problem, says the Commissioner’s page on leaks and mold5.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy cover the mold in my home, and if so, what limit applies?” Source: Leaks, water damage, and mold (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)5
Checking a company
Ask the biohazard company whether it follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, the federal rule on germs carried in blood, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the IICRC, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. Then look up any company yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and read Biohazard Cleanup Certifications Explained to understand the answers.
To find an independent local company, start from the Puget Sound cleanup home page or your county page.