A sewage backup, a failed septic system, used needles or rodent droppings in a Shelton home, rental or business is cleaned up by an independent biohazard cleanup company that the owner or property manager hires directly. The first step is to keep people and pets away from the affected area; if a septic system has failed, Mason County Public Health and Human Services1 runs the On-Site Sewage System Program, which handles septic complaints and other sewage-related violations. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company, but we do not do any of the cleanup ourselves.
Finding this kind of problem is stressful, whether it is in your own basement or a unit you manage. This page explains what the work involves, how the process runs, and which local offices may play a part.
What this service covers
A biohazard is biological material, such as sewage or animal droppings, that can carry germs that make people sick. This page is about contamination that is not tied to a death or a crime:
- Sewage backups from drains or toilets, and septic system failures
- Needles and other sharps, meaning items that can pierce skin, such as syringes and lancets
- Rodent droppings and nests
- Contaminated material left in rentals, vacant properties and businesses
Ordinary mopping is not enough. Porous materials, which are things that soak up liquid like carpet, padding, drywall and upholstered furniture, can hold sewage deep inside where surface cleaning cannot reach. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) says to hire a cleaning professional when a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage.
Rodent droppings carry their own risk. DOH2 says infected deer mice can shed hantavirus in urine, saliva and droppings, that these mice live throughout the state, and that people can be exposed by breathing dust stirred up while cleaning droppings or nests. DOH also says there is no evidence the virus spreads from one person to another.
What to do first, and what not to touch
- Stop using drains and toilets connected to a backup.
- Do not sweep or vacuum droppings. DOH2 warns this stirs up dust, and that a dust mask does not protect against viruses.
- Do not pick up needles with bare hands.
- If you rent, do not throw damaged belongings away yet. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) says your insurer may want to inspect them, and to ask the insurance company what to do if items are contaminated and unsafe to handle.
- If anyone feels unwell, Mason General Hospital in Shelton has a 24-hour emergency department.
If a death is involved, the Mason County Coroner comes first; the unattended death cleanup page covers that situation. A former drug lab is a separate job in Washington, because clandestine drug lab decontamination contractors must be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program, and Mason County Public Health and Human Services1 has its own Methamphetamine Labs program.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew should wear protective equipment such as gloves, eye protection and suits. Ask how they will set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread into clean rooms. Porous materials that cannot be saved are cut out and bagged. Then comes disinfection, meaning the use of products that kill germs on surfaces after cleaning. Odor work makes sense only after the source is gone; see odor remediation in Shelton. Ask for photos and a written list of what was removed for your insurer.
Before you hire anyone, ask whether their crew works under OSHA’s Bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.10303, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, then look up the business yourself with L&I4’s Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business4 tool. Our certifications guide explains what each of these means and how to read the results.
How the process works, from assessment to disposal
- Assessment. The company looks at how far the contamination spread and which materials it reached.
- Containment and removal. The area is sealed off, and affected materials are taken out.
- Cleaning and disinfection. Remaining surfaces are cleaned, then disinfected.
- Disposal. Each type of material leaves the property by its proper route.
- Restoration. Drying and rebuilding follow once the biohazard is removed. The biohazard and restoration page explains how the two kinds of work fit together.
Disposal deserves a direct question. Washington’s biomedical waste law limits that term to a specific list, and the list includes sharps waste such as needles and syringes removed from their sterile package. Under Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) rules, a company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste must keep an operating plan that holds that waste apart from other solid waste until treatment or disposal and lets only authorized people handle it. A company may not haul solid waste for pay without first obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the UTC. Ask the company who will haul each kind of material and where it will go.
Insurance questions to raise early
The OIC says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. It notes that most homeowner policies do not cover gradual leaks, and that mold coverage is often limited to mold caused by a covered loss. You have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs, and the OIC warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights. Landlords should know that the OIC says a landlord’s policy does not cover a renter’s personal property.
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 page5.
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 page5. 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 page.
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)
Sewage and biohazard cleanup in Shelton
Shelton is an incorporated city, so its Community and Economic Development department reviews development applications for code compliance and operates the Code Enforcement division. If repairs after a cleanup require a development application, that department reviews it.
Septic and waste questions go to the county. Mason County Public Health and Human Services1 can be reached at 360-427-9670 ext. 869, and its programs cover different parts of this work. The On-Site Sewage System Program handles septic enforcement. The Solid Waste Program takes neighborhood complaints, such as garbage in bags outside a residence, and states that owners, operators and occupants are responsible for legal disposal of solid waste on the property. That matters for landlords of vacant units. If belongings have built up in the home along with the contamination, see Hoarding Cleanup in Shelton, WA.
Downtown Shelton along Railroad Avenue has historic homes and businesses. If your property is a business there, ask the company how it plans the work around your hours.
WSDOT has described a route through Shelton via SR 3 and US 101, and SR 106 runs east to west between the US 101 junction in Skokomish and the SR 3 junction in Belfair. Ask any company where it is based and which way it will come. For other services and county offices, see the Shelton and Mason County pages.
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.
- Mason County Coroner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Mason 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.