OSHA Definitions 1910.1030: Bloodborne Pathogens A-E

Here at Brooks Remediation, our highly trained and professional biohazard remediation personnel are not only dedicated to trauma cleanup, but education as well. We understand certain lingo may be used that you may be unfamiliar with, and as such we want to ensure you don’t feel more overwhelmed.

See below for an A-E glossary of frequently used words:

"Blood" means human blood, human blood components, and products made from human blood.

"Bloodborne Pathogens" means pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

"Clinical Laboratory" means a workplace where diagnostic or other screening procedures is performed on blood or other potentially infectious materials.

"Contaminated" means the presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.

"Contaminated Laundry" means laundry that has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials or may contain sharps.

"Contaminated Sharps" means any contaminated object that can penetrate the skin including, but not limited to, needles, scalpels, broken glass, broken capillary tubes, and exposed ends of dental wires.

"Decontamination" means the use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate, or destroy bloodborne pathogens on a surface or item to the point where they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles and the surface or item is rendered safe for handling, use, or disposal.

"Director" means the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or designated representative.

"Engineering Controls" means controls (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles) that isolate or remove the bloodborne pathogens hazard from the workplace.

"Exposure Incident" means a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral with blood or other potentially infectious materials that result from the performance of an employee's duties.

Trust Brooks Remediation for professional and safe bloodborne pathogen and crime scene cleanup to ensure your home is restored to its original, safe condition. Contact us today and allow our empathetic and professional staff members alleviate the burden and responsibility involved in the cleanup and disinfection off of your shoulders, and on to ours. 800-663-2854

Crime Scene Cleanup NYC

Do you need Crime Scene Cleanup, Unattended Death Cleanup, Suicide Cleanup, or Hoarding Services in the New York area? Give Brooks Remediation a call. Currently servicing all of Long Island and NYC’s five boroughs, we are dedicated to assisting people and communities when tragedy strikes.

At Brooks Remediation, we help take the burden and responsibility involved in the cleanup and disinfection off of our client’s shoulders, and on to ours. With 24/7 year-round immediate dispatch, we provide full-compliant cleanup services for law enforcement, first responders, coroners, and public service agencies.

We pride ourselves on prompt, professional service and back all of our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

While we hope you'll never need our services - if a tragedy strikes, we'll be there to help. Contact us today and trust Brooks Remediation for professional and safe bloodborne pathogen cleanup, to ensure that your home and property are protected after any death or trauma scene has occurred.

Is Crime Scene Cleanup Covered By Insurance?

As we know, every loss is unique and while we cannot make any guarantees regarding your coverage, in most cases, homeowners insurance does cover cleanup services. It’s important to check your policy for coverage details.

If you have coverage, we will submit the bill to your carrier and work with them directly to resolve payment making you only responsible for your deductible.

If you don't have coverage, we have payment options available and can also assist with third-party sources of funding including: Victims compensation assistance, Discount programs, or Payment plans.

After reviewing the site and getting an assessment of the work needed, we can estimate your out-of-pocket expenses. For more insurance and payment information, please visit our website here.

Trust Brooks Remediation for professional and safe bloodborne pathogen and crime scene cleanup to ensure your home is restored to its original, safe condition. Contact us today and allow our empathetic and professional staff members alleviate the burden and responsibility involved in the cleanup and disinfection off of your shoulders, and on to ours. 800-663-2854

Suicide Warning Signs

As experts in suicide cleanup, we’ve seen first hand just how much suicide can impact the lives of loved ones. In an ideal world, such services would not be needed. Unfortunately, knowledge of suicidal warning signs and how to respond to them are important in working to prevent the incident from occurring:

Chart via HelpGuide.org

Should you know someone who is struggling with any of the above issues or is part of a demographic where suicide is a frequent cause of death, the extra attention that you pay to their actions and behaviors may just end up being the difference between life and death. For more information on helping a suicidal person, please visit HelpGuide.org here »

While we hope you'll never need our services - if a tragedy strikes, we'll be there to help.The moment we arrive, our teams are trained to use compassion, discretion and communication skills. They will take as much time as you need to understand the process, the costs and payment options. We will take pictures to help document the scene for you, and give you a written estimate.

Call Brooks Remediation today at 800-663-2854. Our technicians can get to you within 1-3 hours if you are in need of immediate response.

PTSD: Symptoms and Recovery

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is commonly known to effect combat soldiers in the military. However, reality is PTSD can effect anyone who has experienced an overwhelming life event - especially if the event was traumatic, unpredictable, and out of the individual’s control.

There are four types of symptoms of PTSD:

1. Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms) - Having bad memories or nightmares. One may even feel as if they are experiencing the event again - this is called a flashback.
2. Avoiding situations that remind you of the event - Avoiding situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event. One may even avoid talking or thinking about the event.
3. Negative changes in beliefs and feelings - Due to the drama, the way one thinks about themselves or others may change. They may feel fear, guilt, or shame and may not have any interest in activities once enjoyed.
4. Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal) - One may be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger - or have trouble concentrating or sleeping.

Most who experience a trauma have some symptoms initially, but only some will develop PTSD over time. The reason why it effects some and not others is unclear. “Getting better” means different things for different people and not all who seek treatment will be “cured.”

When recovering from a disaster, it is important to know you are not alone. Safety, physical and mental well-being must be considered. For more information on treatment options please visit PTSD.VA.org as well as our website for important crisis hotline numbers in New York State.

At Brooks Remediation, our highly trained and professional biohazard remediation personnel is dedicated to helping people and communities when tragedy strikes. Contact us today and allow our empathetic and professional staff members alleviate the burden and responsibility involved in the cleanup and disinfection off of your shoulders, and on to ours.  800-663-2854