Physical and Emotional Risks to Cleaning after Traumatic Death
Physical Risks: Bloodborne Pathogens and others
Restoration Angel is committed to the highest standards of safety during biohazard remediation, including scenes involving blood, bodily fluids, trauma, crime, or unattended death. Understanding bloodborne pathogens and other infectious diseases is essential for protecting our team members, clients, and the community. This page provides key information based on guidelines from OSHA and the CDC.
What Are Bloodborne Pathogens?
Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms present in human blood and certain bodily fluids that can cause disease in humans. The primary concerns are:
- Hepatitis B Virus (HBV): Causes liver inflammation; can lead to chronic infection, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. A vaccine is available and highly effective.
- Hepatitis C Virus (HCV): Also affects the liver; often chronic with no vaccine available.
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): Attacks the immune system, potentially leading to AIDS.
Other pathogens may include syphilis, malaria, or emerging viruses, but HBV, HCV, and HIV pose the greatest occupational risk.
Potentially Infectious Materials
According to OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), treat the following as potentially infectious:
- Human blood and blood products
- Semen and vaginal secretions
- Cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, and amniotic fluid
- Any body fluid visibly contaminated with blood
- Any unfixed tissue or organ from a human
Universal Precautions require treating **all human blood and certain body fluids as if known to be infectious**.
For more details, refer to:
- [OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard] (https://www.osha.gov/bloodborne-pathogens)
- [CDC Bloodborne Infectious Diseases] (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/)
Emotional Risks
The Hidden Psychological Toll of Cleaning Up After a Traumatic Loss
Losing a loved one to a sudden, violent death is devastating. The grief is profound, often complicated by shock, PTSD-like symptoms, intrusive memories, anxiety, and prolonged mourning. But many families face an additional, unnecessary trauma: attempting to clean blood, bodily fluids, and biohazards themselves.
Why Families Should Never Clean the Scene Themselves
- Intensifies Trauma and PTSD Risk: Exposure to the graphic scene creates vivid, lasting mental images that replay involuntarily, worsening symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, guilt, and hypervigilance. Studies show unexpected or violent deaths already elevate risks of major depression, panic disorder, and PTSD—cleaning amplifies this.
- Prolongs Grief and Hinders Healing: Lingering reminders (stains, odors) in the home trigger ongoing distress, extending complicated grief. Professionals remove these triggers discreetly, allowing families to focus on memories, not the trauma.
- Overwhelms Emotional Resources: Already grieving, families endure added physical and mental stress, leading to exhaustion, isolation, and long-term psychological impacts. Experts universally advise against it: "Discovering the death is difficult enough; there’s no reason to add onto the psychological weight."
Let Restoration Angel Help You Heal
Our certified partners handle safe, thorough removal of blood and biohazards, restoring your home to a livable space—with compassion and discretion.
We also connect families to emotional support resources for healing.
You don't have to face this alone. Contact Us Today
Restoration Angel: Restoring lives, one family at a time. No family should endure recovery alone. We're here to lift that burden—so you can grieve, remember, and heal.
