For most of its history, crime scene cleanup had no written rulebook of its own. Companies borrowed from hospital infection control, hazardous waste handling and water damage restoration, and quality varied enormously. That changed in 2017, when the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) published the first edition of the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup.
What S540 covers
S540 describes procedures and precautions for cleaning up blood and other potentially infectious materials on any surface, item or location: homes, businesses, vehicles and contents. According to the IICRC, its components include:
- Safety and health, including antimicrobial (biocide) technology
- Project documentation and risk management
- Inspection, equipment and supplies
- Structural, vehicle and contents remediation
- Packaging, transport and disposal of regulated waste
- Confirmation that cleaning worked
One detail matters for police and families alike: the standard assumes that law enforcement or the responsible agency has already released the scene. Cleanup begins where the investigation ends.
S540 and OSHA are not the same thing
OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) is federal law. It requires employers whose workers may be exposed to blood to have an exposure control plan, provide protective equipment and training, and offer hepatitis B vaccination. It protects the worker.
S540 is a voluntary consensus standard. It goes further, into how the job itself should be done: how to assess a scene, what to remove, how to document the work and how to confirm the result. It protects the customer. A professional company should be able to speak to both.
OSHA protects the technician. S540 protects the family that lives there afterward.
Certification: what TCST means
The IICRC’s Trauma and Crime Scene Technician (TCST) certification is built on S540. It covers inspecting for blood and other potentially infectious materials, hazard assessments, work plans, cleaning procedures and safe transport of contaminated material. There are no prerequisites, and it is offered in person and by live stream. A TCST certificate tells you a technician has been trained to the standard; it does not by itself prove a company holds the licenses or waste arrangements its state requires.
State rules still apply
Some states regulate this work directly. California, for example, requires trauma scene waste management practitioners to register with the California Department of Public Health. Rules for medical waste transport and disposal vary by state, which is why our verification process looks at state requirements, not just certificates.
Three questions that reveal whether a company knows S540
- How will you decide what has to be removed versus cleaned in place?
- What documentation will I receive when you are done?
- How do you confirm the area is clean, and can I see the result?
Looking for a company that works to the standard? search the directory and filter by state, or read about the revision now underway.
