The unimaginable happens and someone is accidentally or not accidentally hurt in your home, business, or property you now have a situation on your hands.
The police, EMTs and a coroner will come and remove the person, conduct their investigation, and be on their way. In many cases, you are stuck with what is left: blood, bodily fluids, and sometimes even body parts.
What should you do with the mess that is left behind? Here are some things that you should or should not do when a crime or traumatic incident takes place in your home, business, or property.
Do NOT Touch or Let Anyone Else Touch Anything
Human fluids such as blood and urine can contain diseases and pathogens, specifically blood. Viruses such as Hepatitis, HIV, and C-Diff thrive in blood, and if you come in contact with such pathogens it is easy to transfer to others.
Act as though every drop of blood is contaminated, even if you think it is clean. The last thing you need is yourself or someone else contracting a disease from unjustified contact with blood.
Do NOT Clean It Yourself
If you have an employee clean up after an incident and they happen to contract a blood-borne pathogen, you and your company will be held responsible.
Those who don't have the proper certifications and training could mishandle the cleanup and put themselves and your business at risk. Hire a professional to take care of the cleanup to avoid liability.
Call a Crime Scene Clean Up Services Company
When you are searching for a company to hire, look for ones that specialize in crime scene cleanup and trauma scene cleanup. Professional crime scene clean up companies will have the proper equipment, chemicals, tools, and protocol to safely get your home, business, or property back to normal.
Prepare What Information the Company Needs to Know
Most company personnel can come after the police, EMT, and coroners have left. While you are waiting for them to arrive, get some basic information ready, such as where the incident took place, what happened, contents affected, and if there is an insurance policy on the property.
If You Do Not Have Homeowners Insurance, Call Victim Services
If the incident was related to a crime and your claim was denied or you do not have homeowners insurance, don't fret. Every state in the US has Crime Victim Funds in place to assist families that unfortunately go through traumatic incidents.