In Puyallup, a sewage backup, a failed septic system, discarded needles or a buildup of rodent droppings is cleaned up by an independent biohazard cleanup company that the property owner or manager hires directly. The first step is to keep people and pets away and not start cleaning on your own. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company; we do not do the cleanup work ourselves.
Finding this is upsetting, whether it is your home, a rental you own or a building you manage. For other services in the city, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Puyallup.
What this service covers
A biohazard is any material that can carry germs able to make people sick. This page covers biohazards that are not tied to a death or a crime:
- Sewage backups into a basement, crawl space or living area.
- Septic system failures, where a septic system (a buried tank and drain field that treats a home’s wastewater on site) stops working.
- Needles and other sharps, meaning items that can puncture skin, such as syringes and lancets.
- Rodent droppings and nests in attics, garages, sheds and vacant units.
- Contaminated material left behind in rentals, vacant properties and businesses.
Ordinary cleaning is not enough. Sewage soaks into porous materials, meaning things like drywall, carpet, padding and insulation that absorb liquid, so wiping the surface can leave contamination underneath. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) says to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage.
What to do first
Keep children, pets and anyone with health concerns out of the space. Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings, because DOH1 says that stirs up dust. Hantavirus is a virus that infected deer mice can shed in urine, saliva and droppings, and DOH says people can be exposed by breathing contaminated dust after disturbing droppings or nests. Because DOH also says a dust mask does not protect against viruses and the age of a dropping can’t be told, close the space off rather than trying a quick cleanup.
Do not pick up needles with bare hands. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2 publishes a brochure called Safely Remove Discarded Sharps and offers a sharps response kit, which is worth asking about if needles turn up at a property you manage. For a failing septic system, its Septic System Failure program is the place to start. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department can be reached at (253) 649-1500, and its page says to call the Duty Officer at that number to report a public health emergency.
If what you found involves a death, see unattended death cleanup in Puyallup instead.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to explain each step before work begins:
- Protective equipment. The crew wears gloves, eye and breathing protection, and protective suits.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread.
- Removal. Porous materials soaked by sewage may need to be cut out rather than cleaned.
- Disinfection. This means applying a product that kills germs on surfaces after cleaning.
- Odor work. Odor is treated after the source is gone; see odor remediation in Puyallup.
- Records. Ask for photos, a written scope and a list of what was removed for your insurer.
Before you hire, ask how the crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard3, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (IICRC is the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries). You can also look the business up with the Department of Labor & Industries4 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business4, and the certifications guide explains what each of these means.
How the process works, including disposal
Inspection and remediation. The company checks how far contamination has spread, including under floors and behind walls, and should put its plan in writing. Remediation, meaning removing a hazard and returning the space to a safe condition, ends with disinfection and a final check of the work.
Biomedical waste. Biomedical waste is a legal term for specific kinds of waste that can carry disease. In Washington it is limited to the types listed in RCW 70A.228.010, which include discarded human blood and sharps waste such as needles, syringes and lancets. Ask the company which materials from your property fall into that category.
Hauling. Under state rules, a company collecting and transporting biomedical waste must keep an operating plan that holds that waste separate from other solid waste until it is treated or disposed of, so ask the cleanup company who hauls its waste. A company that hauls solid waste for pay must first obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission; if the cleanup company hauls removed materials itself, ask how it meets that rule. In Pierce County, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so you can also ask where the waste will be treated.
Restoration. Drying, mold work and rebuilding may follow once the biohazard is removed. How biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration explains how the two kinds of work connect.
Former drug labs. A property used as a drug lab is a separate job in Washington: decontamination workers and contractors must be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program, and the health department2’s Methamphetamine Contaminated Properties program keeps a list of approved cleanup contractors.
Insurance
Coverage depends on your policy. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, so call before work begins. Since the OIC says most homeowner policies don’t cover gradual leaks, tell your insurer when and how the problem started. You may pick the company yourself, because the OIC says homeowners have the right to choose their own contractor for covered repairs; read paperwork carefully, since it warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights.
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)
Puyallup and Pierce County offices
Because Puyallup is an incorporated city, voted in on 16 August 1890, a code complaint about a property goes to the city: its Development & Permitting Services includes a Code Enforcement division. You can pick up a complaint form at the permit center on the 2nd floor of City Hall; for a building code violation, contact Puyallup Building Services instead. Keep in mind that the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2’s contact list routes rodent, garbage and illegal dumping complaints to Pierce County Code Enforcement rather than to a health program. Landlords and tenants working through a problem together can use the department’s Healthy Housing program, which offers tenant and landlord resources.
When you call a company, describe the property location clearly, for example near the Washington State Fair Event Center or close to the Puyallup Riverwalk Trail. Pierce County also includes the rural Key Peninsula communities and Carbonado, the last town before Mount Rainier National Park, so ask whether Puyallup is in the company’s regular service area. More is on the Pierce County page.
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.
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (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.