If you are reading this chances are you may be faced in dealing with a tragic situation and in need of help. A lot of this applies specifically to Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota but the general tips are good for any area of the country.
Since Scene Clean has opened its doors we have helped thousands of families get on the right track to recovery after various situations. We have also seen a few companies come and go and unfortunately have had to go back into a situation to rectify the work not done properly by some of these companies.
One of the most important things to look for with any company is reputation. Do they have reviews? Google, Facebook, Bing, Yahoo. What are people saying about the company? At Scene Clean we have become the largest bio hazard company in Minnesota and have numerous positive reviews and many more handwritten reviews on our website.
Where is there headquarters? This is probably the most important thing to ask. There are companies marketing in Minnesota right now that are not even based in Minnesota. They get a job and refer it out to a local company such as Scene Clean. This just adds to the overall cost is misleading and just unacceptable. Other companies claim to be local but rent a UPS mailbox making them appear to be local. This should be a huge red flag for any consumer, if they are not honest about their location what are they hiding? It is illegal to store medical waste in a private residence and some of these companies operate out of their homes.
Is biohazards their main focus or are they doing it on the side? Many companies are water/fire restoration companies who maybe handle a few calls a year. We recently helped a family who had a water/fire company start the project only for that company to realize they were in over their head and call us to finish the job correctly. The work they had completed prior to our arrival was largely incorrect and illegal.
Who are their staff? Are they full time? Are they Casual? Are they bringing temporary workers into your home? All workers should be paid on staff, trained regularly and insured. Verify workers compensation coverage, it is illegal to have employees in Minnesota without work comp insurance. There are certain trainings that must be completed annually. Scene Clean has regular mandatory training and hands on training on top of an annual meeting. Are their staff background checked? What is their experience? At Scene Clean all our staff is background checked and has years of experience handling biohazards and tragic situations. We have more experience in bio hazard cleanup than any other company in Minnesota. Just recently we hired a new full time crew member who worked at another local company. We have always respected this other local company only to find out they were doing many things illegally and not even close to OSHA compliance with the safety of their staff. A fancy website and/or marketing materials does not mean a company is doing things the right way. Be vigilant when doing your research.
How long have they been in business? There are two franchises that opened their doors in Minnesota in 2018. Both of them claimed to be the “Most Experienced Professionals” in the Minneapolis area. Buying a franchise does not make you in expert in anything but buying a franchise. The two owners of these franchises had zero experience in the industry and both worked out of their homes renting a UPS address. It is illegal to store medical waste in residential home and a violation of OSHA. OSHA also regulates the cleaning of equipment and personal after working in the field, this is rarely properly achievable in a private residence
Prove you are insured! Any honest and legit restoration company from bio hazards to fire and water should be able to give you copies of their COMMERCIAL AUTO policy, general liability coverage, a bond, workers compensation and in many times pollution control coverage.
Lastly, I want to go over cost of the job. Most of the work we perform at Scene Clean is covered by insurance. We use a software and pricing model that insurance companies use and agree with in regards to pricing. If our company or competitors in the industry give you an estimate and you find a company or two with a lot cheaper rates that should be a red flag for you. The cost for proper insurance coverage in the bio hazard industry alone is not cheap. Neither is ongoing training and education for staff. If a company is proposing much lower rates then the average that should be a clue to that they are cutting costs elsewhere to make up the profit difference. Are they improperly disposing of their medical waste? Are they under insured? Do they operate out of their house and not a commercial facility?
If you are faced with choosing a Crime Scene Cleanup company decisions are usually needed quickly but that does not mean you should take a few minutes to make sure that decision is the right one. If you have questions in Minnesota or anywhere in the country give us a call and we will be happy to help answer those questions to the best of our ability.
