[3] Crime scene cleanup includes blood spills following an assault, homicide or suicide, tear gas residue, and vandalism removal/cleanup.
There are many different sub-segments, named primarily after additional collateral, contingency, or preconditions, regarding the presence of non-blood borne organics, toxic irritants (e.g., tear gas) or disease vectors.
However, it is the legality of charging a fee for mitigating potentially harmful biohazard situations that differentiates a registered crime or trauma practitioner from any general restoration, carpet cleaning, janitorial or housekeeping service.
Crime scene cleanup began primarily as a local or regional small business activity but maturity and consolidation has created some larger entities in the industry; only a few nationwide companies exist, although some national carpet cleaning and restoration company franchises have added crime scene cleanup and biohazard removal to their services.
The American Bio Recovery Association (ABRA)[10] is the 3rd party credentialing body and membership organization for companies that specialize in this niche industry.
Bio Recovery is the act of assessing risk, mitigating threats and remediating conditions resulting from the release of biological hazards.
Questions on the exams are derived from the information in the required prerequisite and demonstrate retention of industry knowledge providing a high level of credibility.
The ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard defines criteria and methodology used by the technician for inspecting and investigating blood and other potentially infectious material (OPIM) contamination and establishing work plans and procedures.
The Korean drama series Move to Heaven follows a pair of cleaners who also examine the lives of the deceased they are hired to clean up after by collecting their personal belongings.
In print and online, the task has been the subject of Alan Emmins' book Mop Men: Inside the World of Crime Scene Cleaners,[14] and in a piece on "six figure jobs" that appeared on CNN.
[16] An extensive article on all aspects of crime scene cleanup was published in the forensic science section of Discovery's How Stuff Works.
[18] Viscera Cleanup Detail is a PC game distributed through Steam that enables players to clean up blood and body remains after a Sci-Fi battle has occurred on a space station.
[19] Safeguard takes a more realistic and educational approach, enabling users to learn about the hazards of crime scene cleanup, as well as the equipment and tools used.