Biohazard cleanup in Port Orchard, WA, is done by independent private companies that you hire directly. If a death or a crime is involved, the first step is letting the police or the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 finish their work and release the property, because cleanup starts only after that. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company; we do not clean, and we are not the company that does the work.
A biohazard is a biological material, such as blood or other body fluids, that can carry germs that cause disease. This page explains who is involved in Port Orchard, what each type of cleanup covers, and what to ask before you hire. For the wider picture, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Kitsap County.
Port Orchard is a city, so a city department handles permits
Port Orchard is an incorporated city. It is responsible for land use planning, permitting administration, building and fire permits, and code enforcement.
That matters in two ways. If cleanup means removing flooring or wall material that then has to be rebuilt, ask the company you hire whether any part of the job needs a building permit. And if the property has already received a code enforcement notice, keep it handy and share it with the company so its plan takes the notice into account.
Getting a company to your door
By land, SR 3 and SR 16 through Gorst are the only route onto the Kitsap Peninsula, and that route is congested. Gorst sits at the western end of Sinclair Inlet, where SR 16 meets SR 3. A company based in the Tacoma area can reach the peninsula on SR 16 over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which carries the highway between Tacoma and Gig Harbor.
The Port Orchard Ferry Dock serves the Kitsap Transit foot ferry to Bremerton, which runs seven days a week. A foot ferry carries people, not work trucks, so a crew bringing equipment comes by road. Ask any company where it is based and how it plans to reach you, so you can plan around its arrival.
When a death happens at home
The Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County. A medical examiner is an appointed official whose office looks into the cause of certain deaths. The moment the office and any police investigators hand the home back is called scene release, and cleanup should not begin before it.
A few points can make the next days easier. Personal property the office secures is released to the funeral home with the body, so ask the funeral home about those belongings. Investigators carry a pamphlet for families that answers common questions, explains autopsies and lists grief-counseling resources, so keep it if you were given one. The office’s family Resource Guide says it does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, which means choosing a cleanup company is up to you. Later, if you want the office’s report, you can ask for it through a family declaration form linked from the office page. The Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 can be reached at 360.731.6843.
The local health department
The health department here is Kitsap Public Health District2. Washington law limits biomedical waste to a set list of waste types, including discarded human blood and sharps waste. Sharps are items such as used needles, syringes, lancets and blades. Hauling biomedical waste in Kitsap County is regulated by both the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the district, so ask the company you hire how waste will leave your property and where it will go.
Cleanup services in Port Orchard
Unattended death cleanup
When a person dies at home and is not found right away, the area needs careful cleaning after release. Unattended death cleanup covers removing affected materials and disinfection, which means using products that kill germs on surfaces. Porous materials, such as carpet, padding and drywall that soak up fluids, may need to be removed rather than cleaned.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
Crime and trauma scene cleanup covers a home, vehicle or business after a violent crime, a serious injury, or a death by suicide. Ask the company to talk with you before it removes any personal items.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding cleanup helps when belongings have built up until rooms are hard to use or unsafe. Hoarding is a recognized condition, so ask for a plan that lets the person living in the home take part in choosing what to keep and what they decide to let go.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup is for smaller incidents, such as an injury or a medical emergency at home. Bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood that can cause disease, such as hepatitis B, and OPIM, short for other potentially infectious materials, are body fluids that can carry the same risk. That is why cleanup workers wear protective equipment.
Odor removal
Odor removal deals with odors that remain after a death, a sewage problem or long-term buildup. Odor removal means fixing a problem at its source, so ask how the company will find and remove the cause rather than cover it up.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup covers sewage backups, septic problems and places where needles or other biohazard waste were left behind. Kitsap Public Health District2 runs a Drinking Water & Onsite Sewage program and offers guidance called Safely Handling Sharps. If water has led to mold, the district also has a Mold program, and our page on how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration explains how those jobs connect.
Before you hire
Once the property is released, starting sooner limits how far contamination and odor can spread. Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, so call your insurer and ask the company how it handles claims.
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 works3. 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 glossary4. Standard homeowner policies also do not cover sewer or drain backups, says the Commissioner’s page on being underinsured5.
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)
Ask each company you speak with 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, a standard from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit group for the cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up yourself in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and our guide to biohazard cleanup certifications explained shows what to look for.