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Biological Hazards

Biological hazards, aka "biohazards", refer to biological substances that pose a threat to the health of organisms, with emphasis on human health. This includes medical waste, microorganism, or virus or toxin from a biological source that can impact human health or is harmful to animals. The term and its associated symbol is generally used as a warning of potential exposure.

The universal symbol for biohazards that was created in 1966 by Dow Chemical is used to signify the presence of hazardous biological materials

Levels of biohazard

The biosafety level is the level of the biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 to the highest biosafety at level 4.

* Biohazard Level 1: Bacteria and viruses including Bacillus subtilis, varicella (chicken pox), as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal, most likely involving gloves and some sort of facial protection. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday viruses (i.e.: washing one's hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc). In a lab environment, all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave.

* Biohazard Level 2: Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, and HIV. "Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work can be done in a BSL-2 facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures.

* Biohazard Level 3: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, tuberculosis, typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.

* Biohazard Level 4: Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Y. pestis, and other hemorrhagic diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.

Our Strength

Our strength is our team. With a team-based approach and dedication they meet any challenge with a smile. We must be responsible for the client's interests and be driven to detail on their behalf. AA Trauma Cleaning Services provides crime scene cleanup, disaster mitigation, construction, and property maintenance services. We are located on the Treasure Coast in Martin County.

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Licenses:
CGC1519002

Critical Incident Stress

Tragedies, deaths, serious injuries, threatening situations - these events are known as "Critical Incidents." Just because someone survived such an event does not mean that the crisis is over and all is well. Sometimes an event is so traumatic or overwhelming that family, friends and even first responders may experience significant stress reactions. This reaction has been labeled "Critical Incident Stress" and the cumulative effect has been labeled "Critical Incident Stress Disorder" or "Critical Incident Stress Syndrome".

It is usual for agencies such as Martin County Fire Rescue or Police to use a critical incident stress management system to help determine if a worker who’s gone through a particularly stressful incident is mentally and emotionally ready to return to work.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule that says a person who goes through a situation has to stay out a certain number of days. It’s done on a case-by-case basis according to what each individual needs.

For example, in a recent Martin County shark attack, Daniel Lund, the lifeguard who tried unsuccessfully to save kiteboarder Stephen H. Schafer on a Wednesday, returned to work the following Sunday.

Despite David Lund's heroic efforts, doctors declared Stephen Schafer, 38, dead at Martin Memorial Medical Center in Stuart. In his attempt to save Shafer's life, Lund paddled into bloody, shark-infested waters, ignoring the risk to himself.

In this instance, Jon Belding, division chief for Martin County Fire Rescue, said "Lund will take some time off, but how much is up to him". He noted, though, that the sooner Lund gets back into the water the easier it will be to recover. Lund has been offered counseling.

Traumatic experiences shake the foundations of our beliefs about safety, and shatter our assumptions of trust. We create meaning out of the context in which events occur. Consequently, there is always a strong subjective component in people's responses to traumatic events. This can be seen most clearly in disasters, where a broad cross-section of the population is exposed to objectively the same traumatic experience. Some of the individual differences in susceptibility to Critical Incident Stress Syndrome following trauma probably stem from temperament, others from prior history and its effect on this subjectivity.

For instance, industrial accidents can be a traumatic personal experience for co-workers. Besides the potential emotional scarring of cleaning up after a co-worker, friend or family member, retrieval of body fluids by janitorial staffs can quickly mount into more than the untrained professional can safely handle. Critical Incident Stress Syndrome (C.I.S.S.) is a very real threat to the well being of persons that try to deal with these tramatic experiences.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS

We provide on-call emergency services 24/7. AA Trauma Cleanup Service provides quality work, timely service, and reasonable pricing. We pride ourselves on the high standards we have established and maintained as a Treasure Coast area business. Our 24 hour response team will work quickly and efficiently with discretion and confidentiality. Unmarked vehicles are available upon request. We will gladly provide references.

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