Over the past few years we have all heard the term PPE( Personal Protective Equipment). But what do those who work in the Crime scene cleanup industry actually need to be fully protected on each job they perform each day. We will be discussing the equipment they use and why they use this equipment to keep them safe while they are working the crime scene.
Wearing PPE can help protect people from disease and infections from the blood and other bodily fluids that one may can encounter while cleaning the crime scene. This is the reason why PPEs are very important
There are 4 types of PPE
Face Mask– The face mask or face shield is the first PPE equipment we will be talking about. The face mask or shield is worn to protect the mouth, nose, and eyes. Some of these mask may have just shield and there some that have filters that attach to the face mask as well to keep the person cleaning the crime scene from inhaling the odors and toxic fumes from the decomposing body that may be in the area where the crime took place.
These mask and shields are also great from bodily fluid splatter and blood that could be contaminating the areas that the crime scene happened. Along with the mask or shield the person will be wearing a N-95 respirator to protect them from airborne materials and other toxic contaminates.
Protective Suit– The protective suit is a great piece of protective equipment because it protects the full body. Most experts in the crime scene cleanup field wear full body protection that provides head to toe protection for the person wearing it. The hood that is connected to the suit protects the ears and head from overhead dripping of chemicals, bodily fluid and blood.
The sleeves that are attached to the suit increase the protection but extending to the wrists and the leg coverings go down to the legs and ankles, this way the crime scene cleanup expert is fully protected. Each time this cleaning experts removes the protective suit there are specialized bio-hazard waste containing units that the suit can be properly disposed of inside.
Chemical Boots- Chemical boots are a key part of the PPE that crime scene cleaning experts use to protect them from chemicals and other materials from penetrating their shoes and exposing them to the toxic and hazardous chemicals, blood and other bio-hazard waste the person may come in contact with during the cleanup. Booties also known as protective shoe coverings may used over the shoes that will keep the crime scene cleaning technician from contaminating other areas of the home or business that was affected by the crime scene.
Chemical Gloves- Last but definitely not least are the protective chemical gloves that protect the crime scene cleaning technician from touching or coming in contact with chemical, bio-hazards, bodily fluids and blood that are harmful. These gloves and disposable latex and are very necessary when handling materials related to the crime scene and cleaning of the area involved. This is another layer of protection that the technician uses to keep them safe on every job they do.
These are the 4 types of PPE(Personal Protective Equipment) that are using in crime scene cleaning the the experts in the field use on a daily basis to keep them safe from all the bio-hazardous chemicals, blood and other bodily fluid they encounter on job they take on. This is the basic type of equipment that all crime scene cleaning experts use and some may even go a step further with more protection depending on the jobs they are exposed to.