Biohazards in the Workplace

In 2004, around 1:30 PM Custodian Debbie Rothwell, was called in to clean up the bloody scene of a student that shot himself in the head inside the schools main entrance, according to http://caselaw.findlaw.com/. Rothwell will probably call December 10 her worst day on the job. Rothwell had to remove medical supplies, brain matter, pieces of bone, and blood in the hallway. Within a few years, Rothwell filed suit against the District and Superintendent Green in 2007 claiming post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

There are companies trained and prepared in the field of biohazard remediation to handle a scenario like Rothwell’s. Associations like American Bio Recovery Association (ABRA) offers a list of companies nationwide that are able to provide this type of service.

As a Certified Bio Recovery Master (CBRM), certified by ABRA, Scott Vogel, of Emergi-Clean Inc. has seen countless incidences in his 15 years.  When a remediation job revolving around a child’s death comes in you can always expect a heightened emotional reaction within your employees. Being a new father he states the emotional toll it can take on himself and/or an individual, even though we are trained can be hard to cope with. Being experienced doesn’t mean we can detach ourselves emotionally. He can only imagine how it feels for someone coming in on an incident without professional training. Other people in the industry feel the same way.

“Even if you have employees that are trained in handling blood that can fully comply with CFR 1910.1030, it is not worth the risk to expose them to the mental anguish of cleaning blood or OPIM (other potentially infectious materials),” Eric Morse, CBRM, President of Tri-State Bio Recovery stated. “This can cause severe emotional damage and will overall be bad for employee morale.”

There is a lot more involved with biohazard remediation only a trained professional should provide. If the scene isn’t cleaned properly it continues to be a health hazard for anyone that comes into contact with the area.

“Many however, try and get away with what is in the minimum standard unknowingly or knowingly putting profits ahead of proper training,” Thomas Licker, CBRM, CEICR stated from Biological Safety, Biohazard and Trauma Scene Cleaning Contractors.

If you choose to hire a contractor or other professional service provider to do the clean up, make sure the contractor has experience, and the third party credentials documenting his ability to perform this remediation. Check their references and ask the company for a proper insurance certificate.

In 20 years running a family owned and operated business, we have seen several cases that dealt with the improper handling or dealing of bio hazard scenes. Not only did their actions put the public at risk, but also their workers who weren’t taught the proper way of biohazard remediation. We here at Emergi-Clean Inc. have partnered up with ehs Inc. to conduct environmental, health, and safety training throughout the tri-state area and across the nation specializing in Bio Hazard Remediation.  All of our employees are current with OSHA 1910.1030 and HAZWOPER 1910.120 and a third party certification from the American Bio Recovery Association. Please be aware of those you hire.

 

Emergi-Clean and ehsInc announce an affinity partnership

Emergi-Clean Inc. is proud to announce an affinity partnership with ehs International, Inc. (ehsInc) http://ehsinc.org, a workplace safety compliance, education, and curriculum design firm. Emergi-Clean Inc. (ECI) is a family owned and operated business for over 20 years http://emergiclean.com ECI specializes in bio remediation and bio recovery, including specialty services such as crime scene cleanup and industrial accidents. ehsInc has provided high quality safety education since 1997 providing  onsite training, consulting, and curriculum design.

Workplace safety has become vital for companies, to ensure the health of their employees and remain in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules. ECI and ehsInc have come together in order to provide their clients with the expertise and support they truly need.

Emergi-Clean Inc.’s staff includes ABRA Certified Technicians, NJ State Certified Medical Technicians, Firefighters, Certified Instructors, and OSHA Trained employees. ehsInc is comprised of industry experts who are driven to provide onsite compliance, education and program development across the nation with one common goal; protecting our workforce for future generations.

“We came together to form this partnership because we both wanted to provide added value to our clients. What Ron Vogel and Scott Vogel understands is that the bio hazards industry needs support when it comes to safety management,” stated Marjorie Del Toro, President and CEO of ehsInc., “Together with Emergi-Clean we have expanded our reach to the East Coast. Our companies complement each other. It is an affinity partnership where we have agreed to exclusively offer our services to our clients. Our clients will now have one place to go, allowing our respective services to be much more comprehensive.”

Emergi-Clean chose ehsInc as their ongoing partner because the company does not believe in a blanket approach to safety issues. ehsInc provides high quality services by tailoring their educational programs and compliance services to the specific needs of each company, which reflects the focus of Emergi-Clean Inc. Scott Vogel explained.

“ehsInc’s CEO Marjorie has a passion when she talks about the company,” Scott Vogel, Director of Operations stated. “When she speaks about the avenue of training she has an intelligence that makes her stand out more than the rest of the companies.”

The partnership provides a wider service reach and a state of the art East Coast Training Center in New Jersey.  Additionally, it will ensure the continued success of both firms all the while bringing better training options to the tri-state area which includes New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

For additional information, visit:  http://emergiclean.com and http://ehsinc.org.

 

 

Why it’s essential to have a biohazard remediation company on hand

On December 10 2004, around 1:30 PM, Custodian Debbie Rothwell received a call in what would turn into her worst day on the job. Upon her arrival she was shocked to see the bloody scene of a student that shot himself in the head inside the schools main entrance, according to  http://caselaw.findlaw.com/. Rothwell had to remove medical supplies, brain matter, pieces of bone, and blood in the hallway.

Within a few years, Rothwell filed suit against the District and Superintendent Green in 2007. Her claim was that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The case was dismissed claiming pursuant CR 12 (b)(6) asserting her claims were precluded by the exclusivity provision of the IIA because her claimed injury occurred during the course of her employment. The trial court granted the District’s motion and dismissed the action with prejudice, and her lawsuit was reinstated in 2009.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in 2013, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death for all ages in the United States. 8% of students have attempted suicide one or more times within 12 months. With these statistics there could be more cases like Rothwells. Especially because there are many custodians that aren’t fully trained or equipped to handle such a clean-up, emotionally.

There are companies trained and prepared in the field of biohazard remediation to handle a scenario like Rothwells. There is a lot more involved with biohazard remediation, and only a trained professional should provide the service, and many custodians and workers aren’t. If the blood isn’t cleaned up properly, it becomes a health hazard for anyone that comes into contact with it. Only a trained professional with proper tools, equipment, and properly used disinfectants can truly make the area or item safe. There has to be a proper clearance test in order to verify if the contaminated surface was disinfected. The clearance test proves that disinfection has been done properly and that the surface is safe to touch without the need to worry about it, according to American Bio Recovery Association (ABRA).

If you choose to hire a contractor or other professional service provider to do the clean up, make sure the contract has experience cleaning the issues. Check their references and ask the contractor to follow the recommendations in the EPA guide on the epa.gov website.

CEO of Emergi-Clean Inc gets International Certification (CBRM)

Rahway, NJ – Emergi-Clean, Inc is proud to announce that our company CEO Ronald Vogel has achieved the highest level of certification through the American Bio Recovery Association (ABRA). The American Bio Recovery Association is an international non-profit educational association that sets forth guideline standards in the Bio Recovery field. Vogel is now qualified as a Certified Bio Recovery Master (CBRM) technician after meeting very strict criteria mandated by ABRA. This certification of CBRM has only been given out to a few individuals nationwide. Some of the criteria required were a minimum of 10 years of bio recovery remediation, an OSHA 40 hour Hazwoper certification, OSHA 10-hour construction safety, and health training, verifiable third party accreditation in Occupational Safety or other field related to sanitation and public health.

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