No matter what business you’re in, you’ve likely had to learn to expect the unexpected and, unfortunately, the unexpected can sometimes come in the form of a crime or violent incident.
If you’ve been unfortunate enough to be left with a forensic or trauma scene on your business premises, you’ll understandably want to get things back to clean and safe conditions as soon as possible, allowing you to safely carry on with business with minimal disruption, loss of revenue or damage to your reputation.
What should I do if a violent crime has occurred on my business premises?
First of all, the immediate situation must be dealt with. This may include:
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- Seeking appropriate medical attention if necessary
- Contacting relevant emergency services
- Noting down names of staff or members of the public involved in the incident
- Documenting the incident as necessary through notes and/or photographic evidence
Ensuring that there is no further risk of injury or damage
Once the immediate issues have been taken care of, you can begin to turn your attention to matters such as insurance, questions of compensation, and getting the area cleaned up and safe for use.
How soon can a crime scene clean-up take place?
You won’t be able to request a crime scene clean-up until the area has been released by the coroner’s office or other official. This is to ensure that all necessary evidence has been collected for investigation before it is cleaned away. Depending on the nature of the incident, this may take several hours or days.
As trauma scene cleaning is incredibly thorough, there shouldn’t be a scrap of evidence left after the clean-up, which is of course no use to an investigation. While it may be frustrating waiting to regain the use of your business premises, it is an essential part of the procedure.
Once the area has been released, give CleanSafe a call to get the crime scene professionally cleaned. We can be on-site within two hours from your call, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that the scene is completely disinfected without delay. Once we have finished cleaning, we will safely dispose of all biohazardous waste.
Who is qualified to clean a crime scene?
While crime scene clean-up is not an officially regulated industry, there are many guidelines and regulations that must be followed in order to maintain public health and safety. Biohazards in the UK are regulated in part by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Specialist knowledge and equipment is essential to ensure that the scene is fully sanitised and that all traces of blood of bodily fluids are removed. Businesses have a duty of care to their employees and any visitors to the premises, and failure to properly disinfect and sanitise a crime scene may lead to infections, infestations and a whole host of other unwanted problems.
CleanSafe’s staff are fully trained to deal with all manner of crime scene clean-ups and, once we have fully cleaned the environment, we will issue you with a de-contamination certificate to verify that the area is safe.
How long will a crime scene clean-up take?
The time taken completely depends on the nature of the incident, clean-up could take anything from one hour to several days to complete. CleanSafe use a range of specialist equipment to ensure that all traces of the crime have been completely removed, ranging from hospital-grade disinfectants to foggers to thicken cleaning agents to allow them to fully penetrate tight spaces for complete odour removal.
While CleanSafe will work hard to ensure that the forensic scene is decontaminated as quickly as possible, it is a job which requires the utmost care and attention to ensure complete sanitation.
To find out more about our crime scene cleaning service.
