A sewage backup, a failed septic system, discarded needles or rodent droppings in a Port Townsend home, rental or business is cleaned up by an independent biohazard remediation company that you hire directly. Remediation means removing contamination and returning a space to a safe condition. First, keep people and pets out of the area and leave the material alone; Biohazard Network can then connect you with an independent local company, though we do not do any of the work ourselves.
Finding this in your own home, a unit you rent out or a vacant property you manage is stressful. A biohazard is any material that can carry germs able to cause disease. This page explains what the cleanup involves and which local offices may play a part.
What this service covers
This service is for contamination that is not tied to a death or a crime, such as:
- Sewer or septic waste that has backed up into a basement, crawl space, bathroom or kitchen.
- Needles or other sharps left in a rental, vacant building or business. Sharps are items that can puncture skin, such as hypodermic needles, syringes and lancets.
- Rodent droppings and nests in an attic, garage, shed or closed-up house.
If a person died in the home, see Unattended Death Cleanup in Port Townsend, WA instead.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
Sewage soaks into porous materials, which are materials that absorb liquid, such as drywall, carpet, padding and insulation. Wiping the surface does not reach what has soaked in. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) says to hire a cleaning professional when a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage or is in hidden places.
Rodent droppings carry a different risk. Hantavirus is a virus that infected deer mice can shed in urine, saliva and droppings, and DOH2 says people are at risk in any part of Washington. Exposure can come from breathing dust after disturbing droppings or nests, so resist the urge to vacuum or sweep them up. Since no one can tell how old a dropping is, DOH advises handling all of them as if infectious.
Needles can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease. Do not pick them up with bare hands.
What to do first
- Keep everyone, including pets, away from the affected area.
- If sewage is still coming in, stop using the building’s sinks, toilets and washing machine.
- Hold on to damaged belongings for now. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) tells renters not to throw damaged things away yet, because the insurer may want to inspect them.
- If you suspect the property was used to make drugs, say so before any work starts. A former drug lab is a separate job in Washington: its decontamination workers, supervisors and contractors must be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew should wear protective equipment such as gloves, eye protection and breathing protection. They set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread to clean rooms. They remove porous materials that sewage has soaked, collect sharps in puncture-resistant containers, and then carry out disinfection, which means applying products that kill germs on the surfaces that remain. Work on lingering odor comes after the source is gone; Odor Remediation in Port Townsend, WA covers that step. Ask for photos, a written scope of work and a list of what was removed, so you have records for an insurance claim.
Usually covered: If your home is on a sewer system, sewer backup coverage can be added to a home policy as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page3.
Usually not covered: A standard home policy does not cover sewer backup, but it can be added as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page3. If you rent, your landlord’s or property management company’s policy covers the building but not your belongings, says the Commissioner’s renter insurance page4.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy include a sewer backup endorsement, and does it cover this backup?” Source: Learn how home insurance works (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
Where water damage restoration fits
Sewage cleanup and water damage restoration overlap. The biohazard is removed first, and drying, new drywall and new flooring come after. Ask whether the company handles both stages or only the biohazard part. How Biohazard Cleanup Fits With Water, Fire and Mold Restoration explains the hand-off.
Checking a company
Before you hire anyone, ask whether the crew works under OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the IICRC (the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries), then look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business. Biohazard Cleanup Certifications Explained describes what each of these covers and what the lookup shows.
How the process works, and where the waste goes
- Assessment. The company inspects the space, finds where contamination has spread and writes a work plan.
- Containment and protection. The area is sealed off and the crew puts on protective equipment.
- Removal. Affected materials are cut out and bagged by type for the right disposal route.
- Cleaning and disinfection. Remaining surfaces are cleaned, then disinfected.
- Disposal. Each type of material leaves the property through its proper channel.
- Hand-off. Drying and rebuilding can begin.
Disposal follows its own rules. Biomedical waste is the legal term for certain infectious waste that state law keeps apart from ordinary trash, and RCW 70A.228.010 limits it to the types it lists, including sharps waste and discarded human blood. A company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste must keep an operating plan that holds that waste separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal, and lets only authorized, properly trained people handle it. Hauling is regulated too: a company may not haul solid waste for pay without first getting a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Ask the company you hire who will carry each kind of material away.
Sewage and biohazard waste in Port Townsend
Port Townsend is an incorporated city and the Jefferson County seat. Inside city limits, the Planning and Community Development Department (PCD), with its Planning, Building and Code Compliance divisions, is the city department for permits and code, which matters if removing soaked walls or floors turns into a repair project.
Jefferson County Public Health5 (360-385-9400) has several programs that may apply. Its On-Site Sewage Program covers septic systems, its Home Syringe Disposal program relates to needles, and its Solid Waste Program and Code Compliance relate to waste. A tenant or neighbor with a concern can use the Jefferson County Public Health Concern/Complaint Action Request for Environmental Health.
Getting a crew to the property can depend on where it is. The State Route 20 corridor is the major link between Port Townsend and the unincorporated parts of the county, and extreme tidal conditions may interrupt the Port Townsend / Coupeville ferry route, so ask a company coming from farther away how it would reach you.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- Jefferson County Public Health (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.