Biohazard cleanup in Gig Harbor is done by independent local companies that you hire directly, and Biohazard Network can connect you with one that serves the city. If someone died or was hurt at the property, the first step is to let police or the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 finish their work and release the home. After that, you contact a company, ask your questions, and decide whether to hire it.
Biohazard Network is a connector only. It does not clean, it does not send anyone to your door, and it is not part of any cleanup company. A biohazard is any material that can carry disease, such as blood or other body fluids. This page explains who is involved in Gig Harbor and which service fits what you are facing. For the wider picture, see the Pierce County page.
Gig Harbor is a city, so city departments apply
This page covers the city of Gig Harbor, home to Skansie Brothers Park and Jerisich Dock on the downtown waterfront, Eddon Boat Park, Crescent Creek Park (still called City Park by long-time residents), and trailheads of the Cushman Trail. Gig Harbor is an incorporated city, not an unincorporated community, so the city handles permits and code issues for properties inside its limits.
If repairs after cleanup need a permit, you will work with the city’s Community Development Department. It is responsible for land use, planning, development and code enforcement within the city limits. When you call, ask which of its divisions, such as building & fire safety or Planning, handles your kind of repair.
Reaching Gig Harbor across the Narrows
Gig Harbor sits on Gig Harbor Bay, across the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma. A company coming from the Tacoma side crosses the SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which is tolled only for trips headed to Tacoma. In practice, the toll falls on the return trip, not the drive in. When you ask for an estimate, ask whether travel and bridge tolls are included so the final bill holds no surprises. If the property you are dealing with is on the Tacoma side, see the Tacoma page.
Who investigates a death in Gig Harbor
A medical examiner’s office is a county office that investigates certain deaths and determines the cause and manner of death. Under Washington law2, the medical examiner has jurisdiction over deaths such as sudden deaths of people who seemed healthy, deaths from unknown causes, and deaths caused by violence.
No cleanup can begin until the home is released. Scene release is the moment the investigating agency tells you it has finished and you may enter and arrange cleanup. Ask the investigator when that will be and who to call with questions.
The office has legal authority to perform an autopsy without family permission. Its examination reports may not be ready until months later, but you do not need the report before cleanup; you need the release. When you do request reports, ask about the family fee waiver, since the fee for one copy is waived for family members. You can reach the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 at (253) 798-6494.
The health department that covers Gig Harbor
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3 is the local health department for Pierce County. Its Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask any company you speak with how it will package and remove waste from your property.
Sharps are needles, syringes, lancets and scalpel blades. If you find any, do not pick them up with bare hands. The department’s Safely Remove Discarded Sharps brochure covers this, and the department also offers a sharps response kit. To report a public health emergency, call the Duty Officer at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3, (253) 649-1500.
Cleanup services in Gig Harbor
Each service has its own page. Pick the one closest to your situation, and ask whether one company can handle more than one.
Unattended death cleanup
When a person dies at home and is not found for some time, the home needs cleaning, disinfection and odor control after the medical examiner releases it. Disinfection means using products that kill germs on surfaces after visible contamination is removed. Read more about unattended death cleanup in Gig Harbor.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
This covers homes, vehicles or businesses after a violent crime, a serious accident, or a death by suicide. Police control the scene until they release it. If privacy matters to you, ask the company what it does to keep the work discreet. See crime and trauma scene cleanup in Gig Harbor.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding is a recognized condition, not a personal failing. This service covers sorting belongings with the person living in the home or the family, removing only what the person decides to let go, and cleaning so the home is safe again. The health department3’s Healthy Housing program offers tenant and landlord resources, but it is not a hoarding complaint program. Learn about hoarding cleanup in Gig Harbor.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
This is for blood or other body fluids left after an injury, a fall or a medical emergency. These fluids can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease. See blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Gig Harbor.
Odor removal
Odor removal means removing a problem at its source rather than covering it up. Odor can soak into porous materials, meaning soft or absorbent materials such as carpet, padding and drywall, which sometimes must be removed. Read about odor removal in Gig Harbor. If water, fire or mold damage is also involved, see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
This covers sewage backups and other waste that can carry disease, including discarded sharps. If the home is on a septic system, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3 has a Septic System Failure program. See sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Gig Harbor.
Questions to ask before you hire
A calm phone call with a few clear questions will tell you a lot. It helps to start sooner rather than later, because contamination and odor can spread into more materials over time.
- Can you give me a written estimate, and does it include travel and bridge tolls?
- Will you work with my homeowners insurance, and how do you handle payment?
- How will you keep the work private, for example with unmarked vehicles?
- How will you package and remove biohazard waste from the property?
- How will I be asked before any belongings are removed?
Ask each company how its workers follow OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard4, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, and look up the business yourself in the Department of Labor & Industries5 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business5. The guide to biohazard cleanup certifications explains what each of these means and what to look for.