Biohazard cleanup in Bainbridge Island is done by independent private companies that you hire directly. A biohazard is blood, body fluid or other material that can carry germs that cause disease. If someone died or was hurt in the home, the first step is scene release, which means police or the medical examiner say their work is finished and cleaning may begin.
Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company. We do not clean or send anyone, and the company you choose works for you. For the wider county, see biohazard cleanup in Kitsap County.
Bainbridge Island is its own city
The city’s Planning and Community Development (PCD) Department coordinates and manages development and land-use activity on Bainbridge Island. If repairs follow the cleanup, ask your repair contractor whether the PCD Department needs to be involved.
How a company reaches the island
The Washington State Ferries Seattle / Bainbridge Island route links the island with Seattle. By road, the Agate Pass Bridge on SR 305 is the island’s link to the Kitsap Peninsula, and the only land-based route onto the peninsula is SR 3 and SR 16 through Gorst, which is congested. Ask any company which route it will use, so you can plan when someone will meet the crew at the property.
Who handles a death on the island
The Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County, including on Bainbridge Island. A medical examiner is an appointed official who investigates deaths for the county. Under RCW 68.50.0102, jurisdiction over the bodies that law lists, such as a body found dead, is vested in the county coroner or medical examiner. The office’s phone is 360.731.6843.
For your family, this means cleanup waits until the office and police are done. If you are unsure whether the home has been released, ask the investigator before anyone starts work. Investigators carry a pamphlet for families that answers common questions, explains autopsies and lists grief-counseling resources, so it is fine to ask for one.
If you are looking for a loved one’s belongings, the office’s Resource Guide says personal property it secures is released to the funeral home with the body, so ask the funeral home. The guide also states that the office does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, so the choice of cleanup company is yours.
The Kitsap Public Health District3 (KPHD) is the county health department, reachable by phone or online at 360-728-2235. It offers a Report a Public Health Concern option if conditions at a property worry you, and it has a Birth & Death Certificates program.
Choose the service that fits
Once the home is released, starting sooner keeps contamination from soaking further into floors and walls. Each link below opens a page about that service on the island.
Unattended death cleanup
An unattended death means a person died alone and was not found right away. Unattended death cleanup covers cleaning the affected area, removing materials that cannot be saved, and disinfection, which means using products that kill germs on surfaces.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
Crime and trauma scene cleanup is for places where a crime, violent injury or serious accident happened. It also covers cleanup after someone has died by suicide. If privacy matters to you, ask the company how it keeps its work discreet.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding cleanup helps when the person living in the home has gathered more belongings than the space can safely hold. Hoarding is a recognized condition, so ask the company how it will include your parent or loved one in sorting items and choosing what they decide to let go.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup is for areas left after an injury, fall or medical emergency. Bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood that can cause disease, which is why workers wear protective equipment. Sharps are needles, syringes and other items that can puncture skin, and KPHD3 has a Safely Handling Sharps program if you find any.
Odor removal
Odor removal deals with odors that remain after the source is gone. Odor removal means fixing a problem at its source rather than covering it, which can mean removing porous materials: soft materials like carpet, padding and drywall that soak up liquids. KPHD3 has a Mold program, and the page on how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration explains related repair work.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup covers sewage backups and other waste that needs safe removal. For septic systems, KPHD3 runs a Drinking Water & Onsite Sewage program, and its Water Pollution Identification & Correction program addresses sewage spills.
What to ask before you hire
In Kitsap County, hauling biohazardous or biomedical waste is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission4 (UTC) and KPHD3. A company that hauls it needs UTC approval and a KPHD Solid Waste Hauling Permit, so ask whether it holds both or uses a hauler that does. The KPHD Site Restoration Hauler permit is a different permit, for companies hauling site waste away in their own equipment, so ask which one applies to your job.
To check a company yourself, ask whether it follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, written by the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit group for the cleaning and restoration industries). Then look the business up with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries5 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business5, and read the certifications guide for what each of these means.