Blood Money
Biohazard cleaning: a lucrative detailing specialty.

by Bud Abraham

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Biohazard cleaning is a specialty market that presents the professional detailer with an opportunity for huge profits, but there is a lot to be done to qualify as a specialist for this market.

What is the biohazard cleaning industry?

The term biohazard cleaning refers to cleaning the interior of a vehicle w here someone has died, let blood, or exposed other forms of biological waste such as bodily fluids and feces.

Even if all airbag is activated and causes an injury -such as a bloody nose - that results in blood shed inside the vehicle, legally this must be cleaned by a biohazard cleaning specialist.

Biohazard cleaning is a huge industry comprised of professionals from many different fields including:

• Housekeeping managers for hospitals and nursing homes;

• Emergency medical technicians;

• Surgical or coroners technicians; and

• Funeral directors and cleaners.

Typically, individuals of the biohazard cleaning industry have been involved in the medical or death industry in some way, but many who enter the field have had no prior experience at all.

So, while a professional detailer doesn't need to have any hospital, medical or death industry experience, it is important to remember that there are some very real dangers to be aware of that are involved with both physical and emotional issues.

There are personal health risks in biohazard cleaning such as exposure to hepatitis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and other communicable diseases.

Not to be overlooked are the emotional issues of getting into a car that may have been the scene of a crime or suicide. Regardless of the money that's offered, some people just cannot emotionally handle this type of interior detailing.

Know the rules and regulations

Before doing any biohazard work, your first step is to contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and ask for the regulations concerning blood-borne pathogen rules.

After you receive these regulations, you must thoroughly read and study them.

This is where we separate the detailers who say they have a strong interest in biohazard cleaning from those that don't. Detailers who do have an interest will read, study and learn from the regulations that exist.

The blood-borne pathogen rule is the basis of what must be done when preparing and setting up the engineering and record keeping practices for a biohazard auto detailing company. This also covers proper conduct within this field.

The rule provides requirements on:

• Training;

• Written plans;
  

• Required vaccinations;
  

• Record keeping; and
  

The necessary personal protective equipment.

For your safety and the legally required protection of employees, you will need to have personal protective equipment (PPE) that will include a respirator fitting for you and your employees.

Start-up costs

Do not try to start up a biohazard cleaning service on a shoestring budget. Do what you have to do to do it right. The returns are well worth it.

To do it right, you need a minimum of $1,500 -$2,000 for equipment, and another $2,000 for basic marketing and promotional materials in order to let numerous types of companies and auto dealers know you offer biohazard cleaning.

You can use your existing truck or van to carry the necessary equipment and chemicals.

To give you an idea of revenue you can charge, the following are what others in the industry are charging:

• $100- $150 for dispatch fees
  

• $150 for setup fees (if you are mobile)
  

• $100 per team member for PPE and other disposable items
  

• $125-$250 work rate per hour

Other charges include cleanup fees for equipment and personnel, and disposal fees for contaminated waste. If a job requires you to wear your PPE and use a minimum amount of equipment, but only takes an hour to complete, you can earn $300 -$400 per hour for that job.
Most work in the biohazard field has an average invoice of over $1,000. This is a service-based business, so counting the technician wages and cost of goods, leaves a true 85 percent profit margin.

It is not for me to tell you whether or not you can handle this work, either physically or emotionally. There are many detailers that could not handle the heat of PPE for hours at a time.
What about placing yourself in a position of harm going into these horrific vehicle interiors? Many detailers will even shy away from biohazard cleaning simply fearing they might catch a disease. Promotion and insurance

A great way to promote your service is to send a letter or brochure to coroners, funeral homes, police agencies and any other first responder group.

You will find that most police officials and coroners are prohibited from making referrals, but if they like you they can "mention" your company without giving a specific referral.

No doubt about it, this work requires trained professional technicians. Having an untrained employee, hiring someone who hasn't received proper training in all required areas, or hiring someone who hasn't had a hepatitis vaccination is in direct violation of OSHA standards.

Also, you could be subject to fines of $50,000 or more. All it takes is one disgruntled employee or someone who becomes ill to report you to OSHA.

If you do choose to pursue biohazard cleaning, you will need to approach insurance companies to let them know you provide this type of service. When speaking with the insurance adjusters, make sure to let them know that this type of cleaning will be your largest source of business.

Without question, if you have the emotional strength for it, or you have employees w ho do, biohazard cleaning can be a most lucrative specialty.

SIDE BAR

Other Hazardous Materials

Other than blood, there are many other biohazard elements to consider. One type that you may encounter would be animal or human fecal matter that has to be removed from a customer's vehicle.

Did you know that feces from birds and bats, including pigeons can cause Histoplasmosis? Rodents' waste can cause Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and other illnesses as well.

Other dangerous containments that biohazard cleanup workers often face is tear gas, methamphetamine lab residue and mold remediation.

-B.A.

Don't Discount Emotional Stress

Aside from start-up costs and knowledgably, there is an important additional factor to consider: biohazard cleaning can be extremely emotionally stressful.

Dealing with families and relatives of someone who has committed suicide, or suffered an unintentional death, can cause a wide range of emotions on the part of the biohazard cleaner.

Many biohazard techs suffer from Critical Incident Stress Syndrome (CISS); many first responders (EMT's, firefighters, police officers) also suffer from this syndrome.

Symptoms of CISS may include nightmares, stress dreams and irritability. If left unchecked, it can lead to reclusive problems in dealing with others. These problems can be corrected, but it's important to give consideration to these issues before jumping into biohazard cleaning.

-B.A.

Biohazard Cleaning Tools

The various tools used aren't that different than those you are already using in you detail business.

However, you will need specific items such as:

Putty knives
Scrapers
Carpet knives
Absorbents; and
Disinfectants.

-B.A.