Despite being a city with a very rich history, Baltimore has also been known for its very dark side. Sadly, it is about its troubling crime and violence rate. Frankly, quite a lot is being done to change the narrative and there have even been improvements.
However, it is always going to be a question of whether it is enough. For more on the actual specifics of crimes in Baltimore and its environs, you can visit: https://www.baltimorepolice.org/.
Especially given Baltimore’s peculiarities in this regard, it is not new to the operations of crime scene cleanup professionals. This article discusses ideal protocols for crime scene cleanup in this part of Maryland. So, read on to stay informed.
Baltimore’s Crime Scene Cleanup: Key Protocols
Quite a lot goes into the proper cleaning and decontamination of crime scenes in Baltimore and its environs. Some of the key protocols in place have to do with:
Initial Assessment
No person in his/her right mind wants to experience a crime scene. A lot of measures are even in place to prevent such in Baltimore and beyond.
Be that as it may, there are also important protocols for effective crisis management when such happens. On this note, initial crime scene assessment is one of the procedures by specialized cleanup services. This is a key protocol, especially to ensure that a thorough cleaning and decontamination job is done.
The initial assessment is about understanding the extent of contamination and also identifying hazards, if any. Caution is seriously of the essence during this assessment and some protocols reflect this.
For example, there are stringent regulations mandating crime scene cleanup teams to be properly geared up for such tasks. In other words, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as masks, goggles, gloves, and other protective clothing should be worn.
Legal Compliance
A bunch of legal protocols need to be adhered to by the cleanup services involved. Overall, these legal protocols fall into the category of ensuring proper documentation of the crime scene and securing the required permits.
Speaking of proper documentation, there are several things involved. For starters, graphic proof of the state of things, especially at the initial stages, is one of them.
By the way, these professionals also work alongside law enforcement professionals and a few others to ensure this. You can click here for more information on this. On the issue of licensing and permits, there are a couple of them to be obtained, including:
- Medical Waste Hauler Permit
- Biohazard Waste Transport Permit
- OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) Compliance
Certain licensing and permits are only required if these specialists are involved in certain operations. For example, the first on the list (Medical Waste Hauler Permit) is a requirement for options that transport and dispose of medical kinds of biohazardous waste.
Containment & Isolation
Physical barriers need to be set up in such scenes. However, you may have realized how this is not only a task carried out by these professionals in these scenes.
For example, law enforcement agents are very particular about this. However, this is usually for service-specific reasons.
On the part of law enforcement agents, it is mostly about preventing evidence tampering, among other things. However, it is about preventing cross-contamination in the case of these professionals. This is also why air filtration is adequately used.
Decontamination
Professional cleanup of such scenes requires the expertise of the right operational team. Furthermore, the team in question must be equipped with the right specialized cleaning tools and equipment.
Well, there are protocols in this regard. For example, some disinfectants do not fit the grade of disinfectants required for this kind of cleanup task.
Waste Disposal
Overall, there are two kinds of waste gathered from crime scenes. These are non-hazardous and hazardous waste.
Both kinds of waste, particularly the hazardous kind are meant to be disposed of in line with regulations that apply in Baltimore. This is very expected considering the significant adverse impact of wrongly disposing of waste, particularly the hazardous kind.
Post-Cleanup
Several post-cleanup procedures are to be followed in the spirit of truly ensuring a location that is safe and free from contaminants. For starters, an inspection is supposed to be conducted by the professional cleanup team that handles the actual cleanup and decontamination of the crime scene.
Also, the specialized equipment used to aid in the thorough cleanup and/or decontamination of the scene has to be properly cleaned. There are protocols for this, which are all in the bid to avoid cross-contamination. Furthermore, the entire cleanup process has to be well documented in a structured report, with findings included and submitted to the appropriate authorities and also whenever requested.
Conclusion
Crime scene cleanup is too sensitive and important a task to be done just anyhow. This is why there are procedures for the ideal conduct of reliable crime scene cleanup in Baltimore, MD, and its environs. By the way, these protocols are pretty much the same in other parts of the country.
Knowledge of these ideal protocols ensures that you make the right choice of a crime scene cleanup service when the need arises. Of course, there are several other benefits of being knowledgeable about these things.