Biohazard cleanup in Federal Way is done by independent private cleanup companies that you hire directly. If someone died or was hurt, the first step is letting police and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 finish their work and release the property; cleanup begins after that. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company that serves Federal Way.
Biohazard Network is a connector, not a cleanup company. We do not do or supervise any of the work, and you agree on terms directly with the company you hire. A biohazard is any material, such as blood or other body fluids, that may carry germs that can make people sick.
Federal Way is a city, so city departments handle code issues
Federal Way is an incorporated city, so property code questions go to the city’s Community Development Department. Its Code Compliance division handles enforcement cases on private property on a complaint basis. If cleanup means removing flooring, drywall or fixtures, ask the company whether a permit is needed, because the department’s Building Division administers building codes, including plan review and inspection.
Getting a company to the property
Federal Way is served by I-5 and State Highways 18, 99 and 509. When you contact a cleanup company, ask where it is based, which route it will use and when it can realistically arrive. For an apartment, condo or gated property, have the entry details ready, along with who can let the crew in.
Who handles a death in Federal Way
King County uses a medical examiner system. A medical examiner is a public office that investigates certain deaths, and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths that occur in King County. Washington law2, in RCW 68.50.010, gives the medical examiner jurisdiction over deaths like these, including when a person in apparent good health dies suddenly without medical attendance shortly beforehand.
Until investigators finish, leave the room as it is. Their work at the scene includes photographs, evidence collection and information from family and other witnesses. Scene release is the moment police or the medical examiner finish and hand the property back, and a cleanup company should not start before it.
While the examination is under way, the family chooses a funeral home or crematory to receive their loved one; the office asks families to make that choice within 3 days. Families are not charged for the investigation or examination, so that is not a bill to plan for alongside cleanup. Personal effects collected during the investigation go to the funeral home you choose, so tell the cleanup company about any belongings you still hope to find in the home. For questions, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 medicolegal death investigation line, available 24/7, is 206-731-3232, ext. 5.
The health department for Federal Way
Public Health – Seattle & King County3 is the health department for King County, including Federal Way, and its main phone number is 206-296-4600. It offers guidance on biomedical waste, a legal category in Washington that includes discarded human blood and sharps waste. Sharps are items such as used needles, syringes and lancets, and the department has a page on how to handle used or found sharps if any turn up in the home.
Cleanup services in Federal Way
Pick the service that best matches what happened. One company may offer several.
Unattended death cleanup
An unattended death is one where a person died alone and was not found right away. Unattended death cleanup covers cleaning and disinfecting the area after release; disinfection means using products that kill germs on surfaces. It can also mean removing porous materials, such as carpet, padding and mattresses, which absorb fluids and may not be saved.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
Crime and trauma scene cleanup is for a home or business after a violent injury, a crime or a death by suicide, once police release the scene. Evidence that contributed to a death is not released to the family; it goes to the investigating law enforcement agency, so those items will not be part of the cleanup.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding is a recognized condition, not a personal failing. Hoarding cleanup helps make a home safe to live in again, and the person living in the home should have a say in what to keep and what to let go. Ask a company how it sorts and protects belongings. If rodents are a concern, Public Health – Seattle & King County3 lists rodent complaints among its programs.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup fits incidents such as an injury, a fall or a medical emergency where no one died. The concern is bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood, such as hepatitis B, that can spread disease. Ask the company what protective equipment its crew wears and how it keeps the rest of the home safe while it works.
Odor removal
Odor removal means fixing a problem at its source. Odor removal deals with odors that remain after cleaning is finished. Ask the company how it will confirm the work is done before you, your family or a new tenant move back in.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup covers sewage backups and removing contaminated materials. Public Health – Seattle & King County3 has guidance on sewage releases and an On-site Sewage/Septic System Program for homes on septic. If water has also reached walls or floors, how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration explains how the two kinds of work connect.
Checking a company before you hire
Before you sign anything, ask each company how its crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard4, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, written by the IICRC (the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries). You can also look the business up in the Department of Labor & Industries5 (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business5, and the certifications guide explains what each of these means.
Other parts of King County
For the wider county, see King County. There are also pages for Kent and Seattle.