After an unattended death in Shelton, the cleanup is done by an independent biohazard cleanup company that you hire directly, after the Mason County Coroner1 has finished its work and the home has been released. An unattended death means a person died alone and was not found right away. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company; we do not do the cleanup ourselves.
You may have just lost someone, or learned that a tenant died in a home you manage. You are not expected to clean anything yourself, and you do not have to decide everything today.
What this cleanup involves
When a person is not found right away, body fluids can soak into carpet, padding, drywall and the subfloor, the layer of wood under the finished floor. These fluids are a biohazard, meaning a biological material that can carry disease. The concern is bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause illness, and OPIM, short for other potentially infectious materials, which covers other body fluids that can carry the same germs. Household cleaners cannot reach what has soaked in. Professional cleanup protects the health of anyone who lives in or visits the home later, and it keeps hidden contamination from causing problems after the surface looks clean.
What happens first
The Mason County Coroner
A coroner is the county official who investigates certain deaths. Here, that office is the Mason County Coroner1, which determines and certifies the cause and manner of death for several kinds of deaths in Mason County, including unattended deaths. You can reach the Mason County Coroner at 360-427-9670 ext 752 with questions about its part. Nobody should begin cleaning until scene release, which means the police or the coroner have finished and say the home can be entered and cleaned. The funeral home you choose handles the person’s care and arrangements.
What not to do
Stay out of the affected room, and do not try to clean it or throw out items from it. If you need something, such as keys or papers, ask the company you hire to find it and set it aside.
What to expect from the company you hire
Expect the crew to wear protective equipment such as gloves, suits and respirators, and to set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread. Porous materials, meaning things that soak up liquid such as carpet, padding, mattresses and drywall, are removed when affected. Disinfection, the use of products that kill germs on surfaces, follows removal. Odor is treated after its source is gone; see odor remediation in Shelton.
Washington has one statewide legal definition of biomedical waste, and it includes discarded human blood and materials containing free-flowing blood. Ask the company how affected materials will be packaged and who will haul them. A company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste must keep a biomedical waste operating plan that keeps that waste separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal. Also ask for written records, such as photos and a list of what was removed, to share with an insurer.
Before you hire, ask whether the crew trains to OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard2, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and follows the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, from the IICRC, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries3 (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business3, and read Biohazard Cleanup Certifications Explained for what these mean.
How long it takes, and what makes it longer
No one can give an honest timeline before seeing the home. Ask for a written scope of work, the plan listing what will be removed and cleaned, and ask what could change it. These things add time:
- How long before the person was found. The longer it was, the farther fluids can reach into building materials.
- Porous materials. More affected carpet, furniture and drywall means more to remove, package and haul.
- Flooring and subfloor. If fluids reached the subfloor, sections may be cut out and the remaining wood cleaned and sealed.
- Odor work. Odor treatment begins only after the source materials are gone, and results may need checking before the job is done.
- Rebuilding. New flooring and drywall are a separate stage after cleanup; see how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration.
Insurance review can add time too. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and it warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights.
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. For damage from those risks, dwelling coverage typically covers repairing or replacing your damaged home.
Usually not covered: Standard homeowner and renter policies exclude wear and tear: insurance covers sudden accidents, not ongoing issues, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page, which lists what standard policies exclude.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers cleanup and repairs after a death in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)5
For Shelton landlords and property managers
When a tenant who lived alone dies, Washington’s death-of-a-tenant law, RCW 59.18.595, sets out your duties. Promptly after learning of the death, you must mail or personally deliver a written notice to people including any known personal representative and the emergency contact on the rental application. Check the file for a separate written designation too, since a tenant who lives alone may name a person to act for them on their death. The notice must say the tenancy ends 15 days after it is mailed or delivered, or on the date rent is paid through, whichever is later, so plan the cleanup with the tenant representative around that date.
The law lets you enter and immediately dispose of perishable food, hazardous materials and garbage. Other belongings are different: before selling or disposing of them, you must send a second written notice giving a date at least 45 days after it is mailed, and personal papers and personal photographs are excluded even then. Ask the cleanup company to set those aside. A landlord who follows this law is relieved of liability relating to the deceased tenant’s property.
Local offices and travel in Shelton
Shelton is an incorporated city, and its Community and Economic Development department reviews development applications for code compliance and operates the Code Enforcement division, so ask there if rebuilding needs city review. Whether the home is in Downtown Shelton along Railroad Avenue, with its historic homes and businesses, or near Kneeland Park, the steps above are the same. If the company is coming from the north, ask about travel: the section of US 101 from the SR 104 junction near Port Ludlow to the SR 102 junction at Shelton is the sole north-south route on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula. Mason County Public Health and Human Services, at 360-427-9670 ext. 869, has a Solid Waste Program that states owners, operators and occupants are responsible for legal disposal of solid waste accumulated on the property.
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.