Biohazard cleanup in Bremerton is done by independent private companies that you hire directly. A biohazard is any material, such as blood or other body fluids, that can carry germs that cause disease. If someone has died or been hurt, police or the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 must first finish their work and release the property; after that, you contact a cleanup company.
Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that serves Bremerton. We do not clean or do any of the work; you hire the company directly. Below is what to expect here, with a link to each type of cleanup so you can pick the one that fits.
Bremerton is a city, so permits go through the city
Bremerton is an incorporated city, so the city, not the county, handles local permits. Its Department of Community Development processes permit applications. That can matter later, when flooring, drywall or other materials removed during cleanup need to be replaced, so ask the company whether any of the work will need a permit and who will apply for it.
After a death: the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office
A medical examiner is an appointed official who investigates deaths to find their cause. Here, the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County, and its phone is 360.731.6843. Cleanup waits for scene release, which means police and the office have finished and the family or owner may use the property again.
Investigators carry a pamphlet for families that answers common questions, explains autopsies and lists grief-counseling resources, so ask for one if no one has offered it. If you are looking for a wallet, phone or jewelry, ask the funeral home, because personal property the office secured is released there with the body. Later, you can request a report through the family declaration form linked from the office page, which also links veteran burial benefits information. The office’s Resource Guide says it does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, so the choice of cleanup company is yours.
Kitsap Public Health District
Bremerton’s local health department is the Kitsap Public Health District2, which you can reach by phone at 360-728-2235 or online. If you need copies of a death certificate for insurance or other paperwork, the district has a Birth & Death Certificates program. If something at the property may be a risk to neighbors, start with its Report a Public Health Concern option.
Getting a cleanup company to Bremerton
If the company you contact is based off the Kitsap Peninsula, its route matters. By road, SR 3 and SR 16 through Gorst, at the western end of Sinclair Inlet where the two highways meet, are the only land route onto the peninsula, and they are congested. A company coming from the Tacoma side crosses the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on SR 16 before reaching Gorst. From Seattle, Washington State Ferries runs a Seattle / Bremerton route, while Kitsap Transit’s fast ferry and its foot ferries to Port Orchard and Annapolis are passenger-only. When you talk with a company, ask where it is based and when it expects to arrive.
Cleanup services in Bremerton
Unattended death cleanup
An unattended death is one where a person dies alone and is not found right away. Unattended death cleanup covers removing affected materials and disinfecting the area after the home is released. Disinfection means using products that kill germs on surfaces. Porous materials, such as carpet, padding and mattresses, absorb fluids and may need to be removed rather than cleaned.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
Crime and trauma scene cleanup is for a home, vehicle or business after a violent event, a serious accident or a death by suicide. The work begins only after police release the scene. If you lost someone to suicide, this is the right service, and you can ask the company to keep its work private.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding cleanup helps when belongings have built up to the point that a home is hard to live in safely. Hoarding is a recognized condition, not a character flaw. Ask the company how the person living in the home, or your parent, can take part in deciding what to keep and what to let go.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup is for smaller incidents, such as an injury at home or at work. Blood can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause disease. Sharps are needles, syringes and similar items that can puncture skin, and the Kitsap Public Health District2 has a Safely Handling Sharps program if you find any.
Odor removal
Odor removal means fixing a problem at its source. Odor removal deals with odors that remain after a death or another event, by finding and removing what causes them rather than covering them up.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup covers sewage backups and the removal of biomedical waste, which Washington law limits to listed types such as discarded human blood and sharps waste. For a home on a septic system, the district2’s Drinking Water & Onsite Sewage program covers onsite sewage, and its Mold program may help if moisture has spread. Hauling biohazardous or biomedical waste is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the district, so ask the company how its waste will leave the property. If water or mold damage is part of the problem, see how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration.
How to check a company
Before you hire, ask the company how its crew follows 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 for the cleaning and restoration industries). You can also look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries3 (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business3, and the certifications guide explains what each of these means.
Questions to ask before work starts
Ask the company whether it can come in plain vehicles, how it charges and when payment is due, whether it will work with your homeowners insurance, which sometimes covers this work, and how it will show you the area is clean. Ask for the answers in writing.
Usually covered: Homeowner insurance protects your home and belongings from damage caused by specific risks, says the Insurance Commissioner’s page on how home insurance works4. Personal property coverage includes your furnishings and personal items, such as your TV, clothing and dishes, the same page says.
Usually not covered: Exclusions in home contracts may include certain events, such as flood or earthquake, says the Insurance Commissioner’s insurance glossary5. Standard homeowner policies also do not cover sewer or drain backups, says the Commissioner’s page on being underinsured.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers biohazard cleanup in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
If the property is outside the city, the Kitsap County page covers the rest of the county, and there are also pages for Port Orchard and Silverdale.