Protecting students and staff
Schools and campuses have large populations, shared spaces and a duty to keep students safe, which makes biohazard events especially sensitive. Custodial teams are trained for everyday spills under their district's exposure control plan, but some situations need outside help: serious injuries with heavy blood loss, suicides or violent incidents, deaths in dormitories or campus housing, sewage backups in restrooms and locker rooms, and illness outbreaks that require building-wide disinfection.
How school projects work
- Coordinate with facilities, administration and, where involved, campus police or local law enforcement.
- Schedule around students. Work is planned for after hours, weekends or breaks whenever possible, and affected areas are secured.
- Remove contaminated carpet, ceiling tiles, mats, furniture and other porous materials.
- Clean and disinfect floors, walls, restrooms, locker rooms, desks and shared surfaces.
- Deodorize where needed, after source removal.
- Document the work for your district, risk pool or insurer.
Sensitive events
After a tragedy on campus, the physical cleanup is only part of the recovery. We keep a low profile, don't speak with students, parents or media, and coordinate closely with administrators on timing so spaces aren't reopened before the community is ready.
Residence halls and campus housing
College housing raises the same issues as apartments: unattended deaths over breaks, drug use and overdoses, and bodily fluid incidents. We work with housing staff on access, room inventory and the return of personal belongings to families.
Athletic facilities
Locker rooms, wrestling mats and training rooms are common sources of skin infections such as MRSA. Targeted cleaning and disinfection of these areas can be scheduled after a reported case or as a periodic program.
Common questions
Can you work during a school day?
We prefer after hours. If an area must be cleaned during the day, it is closed off and we coordinate movement with staff.
Do you work with school districts and universities on contracts?
Yes. We can work under purchasing and vendor requirements and set up on-call arrangements.
What about illness outbreaks?
See outbreak response disinfection. The products and methods depend on the organism involved.