What Is a Decontaminate?
Decontamination refers to the process of cleaning harmful substances and germs. Decontamination after a disaster is essential for the safety of your property’s occupants since contaminants can seep into fabric, paper and building materials such as wood. Others grow or dry atop metals, concrete and other more permanent parts of your building. Decontamination neutralizes hazards such as these four contaminants:
Mold
Storms and floods encourage mold growth in businesses and other buildings. Mold affects cloth furniture, paper products and similar objects. However, it can also impact flooring, drywall and building materials that support your structure. A diverse variety of molds can grow in your building, and many types pose a serious risk to occupants’ health. Anything that retains water is better thrown away as cleaning and drying the building as quickly as possible is essential for preventing future complications.
Dust
Dust can irritate respiratory illnesses, carry harmful materials and provide a place for lingering odors to settle. Decontamination removes dust from surfaces and the air to eliminate contaminants from the entire environment.
Corrosive Residue
A disaster can cause dangerous materials that are usually well-contained to leak or explode. Extreme temperatures and forceful collisions or other trauma put stress on items such as batteries, that contain corrosive liquids. Once the water evaporates from those liquids, a corrosive residue remains.
Industrial Chemicals
Decontamination after floods and other disasters can involve neutralizing industrial chemicals. Some commercial properties use substances such as chlorine and ammonia that can pose an immense danger when severe circumstances cause the chemicals to leak out of their containers. Exposure to those chemicals could injure or sicken you and your employees, so neutralization is a top priority. All other steps toward restoration have to wait until crews and employees are safe from potential exposure to industrial chemicals and other harmful substances.
When Is Decontamination Necessary?
Decontamination is crucial when being in your building exposes occupants to substances that pose a health risk. Professional or large-scale decontamination is usually necessary after disasters. Post-fire decontamination, for example, mitigates the risk of encountering corrosive residue. You should contact a professional restoration team with decontamination capabilities whenever you suspect chemicals, compounds or other harmful substances are affecting your property.
Our Commercial Decontamination Process
When your business becomes contaminated, it’s crucial to neutralize the risk and restore your building as soon as possible. When you call for post-fire decontamination or other disaster relief services, our teams use a proven, safe process to clean your commercial property and prevent further damage from the contaminants. The three steps of our commercial decontamination process are:
1. Triage
Our emergency response teams provide fast service and stabilize the site so crews can work safely. We know that timing matters — that’s why we arrive at your property soon after you call to start the process.
2. Mitigation
Fire service decontamination and similar services require complete remediation to mitigate damage and prevent further complications. We use advanced equipment and recommended practices to eliminate contaminants from your business.
3. Restoration
Once we’ve removed any contaminants from your building, we can restore the property to its pre-disaster condition. You’ll feel more at ease when you use our turnkey decontamination solutions to reopen your business quickly.
Trust in URI to Decontaminate Your Building After a Disaster
URI is a full-service disaster recovery company, and we have extensive experience in decontamination and hazardous material removal from damaged properties. Contact us online or call us at 888-327-9664 today to learn more about how we can help.
