A sewage backup, a failing septic system, discarded needles or a buildup of rodent droppings in a Lacey home, rental or business is cleaned up by an independent biohazard cleanup company that the owner or manager hires directly. The first step is to keep people and pets away from the area and not to sweep, vacuum or tear out wet materials yourself. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company; it does not do the cleanup work, and you hire the company directly.
Finding sewage on a floor or needles in a vacant unit is unsettling, and it is normal not to know who to call. This page walks through what the work involves, which Thurston County programs apply, and how contaminated material has to leave the property.
What this cleanup covers
A biohazard is material that can carry germs able to make people sick, such as sewage, blood or animal droppings. This service covers contamination that is not tied to a death or a crime: sewer and septic backups, needles left in rentals or vacant buildings, rodent droppings and nests, and similar waste in homes and businesses.
Ordinary cleaning is not enough because sewage soaks into porous materials, meaning things like carpet, carpet pad, drywall and insulation that absorb liquid instead of holding it on the surface. Those materials may need to be cut out and removed, not just wiped. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) says on its “Mold” page to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage.
Rodent droppings and hantavirus
Hantavirus is a virus that DOH1 says infected deer mice can shed in their urine, saliva and droppings. DOH says these mice live throughout the state, and that people can be exposed by breathing dust stirred up while disturbing or cleaning droppings or nests. Because the age of a dropping can’t be told, DOH says to handle all droppings as if infectious and not to vacuum or sweep them. In a closed-up house or a storage room with heavy droppings, that advice is a good reason to let a company take on the work.
Needles and other sharps
Sharps are items that can puncture skin. Washington’s definition of biomedical waste in RCW 70A.228.010 lists “sharps waste,” including hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpel blades and lancets removed from their sterile package. Do not pick up a needle with bare hands. The Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department2 runs an Unwanted Medications drop-off, but its page says those sites take no sharps or bloody or infectious waste.
A former drug lab is a separate job: in Washington, drug lab decontamination workers, supervisors and contractors must be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program.
What to do first
- Keep everyone, including pets, out of the affected area, and stop running water into drains that are backing up.
- For a septic problem, the Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department2 has a Septic Systems program; the department’s main line is 360-867-2500.
- For a sewer problem, the department’s Wastewater - Water Quality Resources page lists Lacey among the area’s sewer providers, which can help you confirm who serves your property.
- Call your insurance agent. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner3 (OIC) says you can ask whether a loss is covered without filing a claim.
- Renters should not throw away damaged belongings yet, because the OIC says the insurer may want to inspect them. If items are contaminated and unsafe to handle, the OIC says to ask the insurance company what to do.
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 page4.
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 page4. 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 page5.
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)
If what you found is connected to a death, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths in Thurston County, and nothing should be cleaned until the scene is released. The page on unattended death cleanup in Lacey covers that situation.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew should wear protective equipment such as gloves, eye protection and breathing protection. Ask how they will set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread into clean rooms. Affected porous materials are cut out and bagged. Hard surfaces are then cleaned and disinfected; disinfection means applying a product that kills germs after visible soil is removed. Odor work should come after the source is gone, since covering a smell does not remove its cause; see odor remediation in Lacey. Ask for photos, written notes and an itemized scope you can give your insurer.
Before you hire anyone, ask whether the crew follows the federal rule on germs carried in blood, OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), then look the business up yourself in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business. Biohazard cleanup certifications explained describes what each of these means and what to look for.
How the process works, from first visit to disposal
- Assessment. The company looks at the source, how far contamination has spread, and which materials can be cleaned and which must go. Ask for that plan in writing before work starts.
- Containment and removal. The area is sealed off, and affected materials are removed and packed for disposal.
- Cleaning and disinfection. Remaining surfaces are cleaned, then disinfected.
- Waste handling. Washington’s biomedical waste definition is limited to listed types, and it is the only state definition, overriding any local one. That means you can ask the company plainly which removed items it treats as biomedical waste and how it handles the rest. State law also says a company may not haul solid waste for pay without first getting a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). Ask who hauls the company’s waste, and ask to see that the hauler holds this certificate. For biomedical waste, UTC rules require the collecting company to keep an operating plan that holds that waste separate from other solid waste until it is treated or disposed of. If you have questions about waste in Thurston County, the health department2 lists a Solid and Hazardous Waste Program.
- Restoration and records. Sewage cleanup overlaps with water damage restoration. Once the biohazard is removed, drying and rebuilding can follow, done by the same company or another one; how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration explains the hand-off.
Sewage and biohazard cleanup in Lacey
Lacey is an incorporated city, so permits for rebuilding after tear-out go through the City of Lacey’s Community and Economic Development Department, which handles land use and construction permitting. General code enforcement inside the city is done by the city’s Code Enforcement Division. The county’s Solid Waste (Garbage) - Compliance program covers unincorporated Thurston County and the urban growth areas; for a concern inside a city, county staff contact that city or refer the concern.
The Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department2 also lists an Environmental Health Issues Reporting page. Its Mold & Ventilation page offers information only, not mold complaints, testing or inspections.
Whether the property is near Huntamer Park in downtown Lacey or close to Long Lake Park on Carpenter Road SE, ask each company whether it serves your address. The county road system has more than 1,027 miles of roadway and 150 bridges, and in snow, ice or windstorms the county clears arterials such as Martin Way and Yelm Highway first. In bad weather, ask the company how conditions affect when it can reach you. More local information is on the Lacey page and the Thurston 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.
- Thurston County Coroner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (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.