Crime and Trauma Scene Cleanup in Olympia, WA

After a crime, a serious injury or a death by suicide in Olympia, the cleanup is done by an independent biohazard cleanup company that the family or property owner hires directly, not by police or the county. Cleanup can start only after police, and the Thurston County Coroner’s Office¹ if someone died, have released the property. Biohazard Network does not do this work; we can connect you with an independent local company that does, so you do not have to clean any of it yourself.

If this loss involved a suicide, or if anyone in your family is struggling right now, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support by call, text or online chat, any time of day or night. Its counselors can also help someone who is worried about a loved one.

What crime and trauma scene cleanup involves

This service covers cleanup after an assault, a homicide, a break-in where someone was hurt, a serious accident that was not a crime, or a death by suicide. The work deals with biohazards, meaning blood or other body material that may carry germs. Some of those germs are bloodborne pathogens, which are viruses and bacteria carried in blood that can cause disease. Cleanup workers also guard against OPIM, short for other potentially infectious materials, meaning body fluids other than blood that can carry the same risk.

Ordinary cleaning is not enough. Household sprays do not reach into porous materials, which are soft or absorbent things like carpet, padding, drywall and upholstery that soak up fluids. Those often have to be cut out and removed, not wiped.

Who controls the scene first

Police control a crime or injury scene until they finish their work. If someone died, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office¹ investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths in Thurston County. A coroner is the official who looks into the cause of a death; in Thurston County it is an elected office. Under RCW 68.50.010, deaths caused by violence, whether self-induced or otherwise, fall under the coroner’s jurisdiction.

Scene release means the investigators tell you they are done and the property is back in your hands. Neither police nor the coroner clean afterward. Until release, stay out of the affected area, do not touch or move anything, and do not throw anything away. Deputy Coroners stay in contact with families and can help with answers and next steps. You can reach the Thurston County Coroner’s Office¹ at (360) 867-2140.

What to expect from the company you hire

The crew wears protective equipment such as gloves, suits and eye protection. They set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread to the rest of the home. They remove affected materials, then apply disinfection, which means using products that kill germs on the surfaces that remain. Odor work comes only after the source is gone; see odor remediation in Olympia for that step. For smaller spills, blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Olympia explains the narrower service.

What is removed may count as biomedical waste, a term Washington limits to the types listed in state law, such as human blood and blood products. A company that hauls solid waste for pay needs a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, and a company collecting biomedical waste must keep an operating plan that keeps it separate from other waste. Ask who will haul it away. Also ask for photos and a written list of the work for your insurer.

Checking a company before you hire

Ask how the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard², 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, written by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries, and look the business up yourself on the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries³ (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business³. Our guide, biohazard cleanup certifications explained, walks through what those names mean.

After a death by suicide

There is nothing you need to do in the room itself. The funeral home handles your loved one’s care and generates the death certificate. The cleanup company’s job is to take the rest off your shoulders, so no one in the family has to see or handle the area. When you call, ask for what matters to you: a vehicle without markings, a quiet arrival time, or a single contact person. If the death went unnoticed for a time, unattended death cleanup in Olympia may fit better.

For property managers and employers

After an accident in a rental unit, shop or office, keep tenants, staff and the public away from the area until the company finishes. Do not ask employees to clean it. Afterward, ask the company for its written records of what was removed and treated. If a tenant was involved, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner says a landlord’s policy does not cover a renter’s personal property.

Does insurance cover crime scene cleanup?

It depends on the policy. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner⁴ (OIC) tells homeowners to understand what their policy does and doesn’t cover, and says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. If a crime caused the loss, notify police and keep a copy of the report. The OIC says you have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs, and it warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights. Do not throw out damaged belongings yet, because the insurer may want to see them.

The Crime Victims Compensation Program⁵ of L&I⁵ lists crime scene cleanup under what it does not pay for. It may help with medical treatment, mental health treatment, grief counseling, partial wage loss and funeral expenses, but only after primary insurance, because it is the payer of last resort. The Thurston County Coroner’s Office¹ notes that benefits may be available if a death came from a criminal act, and that its investigation may help speed insurance claims.

Getting help to a property in Olympia

The Coroner’s Resources page lists bio-hazard clean-up companies by name under “Bio-Hazard Clean-Up Services.” For health questions, the Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department, at 360-867-2500, runs programs including Environmental Health Issues Reporting and the Solid and Hazardous Waste Program. For more on the city and county, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Olympia and biohazard and trauma cleanup in Thurston County. If walls or floors need rebuilding, read how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.

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