The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has released a new ANSI-approved ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (1st edition, 2017).
[quote]“This Standard has been a labour of love for all of us who have wanted this niche industry to reach the level of professionalism enjoyed by other markets who have had standards established by the IICRC,” said Kent Bert, S540 Standard committee chairman.[/quote]
[quote]“We have worked tirelessly to ensure the information conveyed is concise, easy to understand and most importantly, truly represents a consensus across our industry. [/quote]
[quote]“Our team worked seamlessly and harmoniously throughout the entire process and represented some of the brightest minds, not only in trauma and crime scene cleanup, but the restoration industry as a whole. [/quote]
[quote]“Every company doing this type of remediation, or thinking about entering the field should consider obtaining a copy of the S540 Standard as a comprehensive resource for their company and their crews.”[/quote]
ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard defines criteria and methodology used by technicians for inspecting and investigating blood and other potentially infectious material (OPIM) contamination and for establishing work plans and procedures.
The S540, which assumes that all scenes have been released by law enforcement or regulatory agencies, describes the procedures to be followed and the precautions to be taken when performing trauma and crime scene cleanup regardless of surface, item, or location.
Trauma and crime scene cleanup consists of the following components for which procedures are described in the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard:
- Principles of trauma and crime scene cleanup
- Safety and health
- Biocide and antimicrobial technology
- Administrative procedures, documentation and risk management
- Inspection and preliminary determination
- Equipment and tools
- Limitations, complexities, complications and conflicts
- Structural remediation
- Vehicle and machinery construction
- Contents remediation
- Containment and disposal of waste or sharps
- Confirmation of cleanliness
[quote]”This standard is a true collaboration of the best minds and talent in the fields of cleaning, restoration and infection control,” said Standards Chairman Howard Wolf. “We are proud to add this standard to our family of restoration and remediation standards.”[/quote]
The new ANSI/IICRC S540 is available for purchase via the IICRC website.