A worker from Crime Scene Cleaners carries out Covid-19 sanitation. Photo / Supplied
A worker from Crime Scene Cleaners carries out Covid-19 sanitation. Photo / Supplied
WARNING: Content may be distressing
They are the people called in to clean up after grisly crime scenes, deaths and accidents.
Now the extreme cleaning specialists have got the call-up for a different kind of service - Covid-19 sanitation.
Crime Scene Cleaners is a 24-hour service that specialisesin crime, trauma and property cleaning in different parts of the country; particularly in and around Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Some of the jobs they regularly attend are the aftermath of homicides, train fatalities, meth-infected homes and pest-infested hoarder houses riddled with mould and scum.
They were also needed after the mass mosque shootings in Christchurch last year.
General manager Carl Loader said they were now getting phone calls "continuously" from people, businesses and companies wanting to inquire about their services.
A worker from Crime Scene Cleaners carries out Covid-19 sanitation. Photo / Supplied
But he confirmed they had carried out Covid-19 sanitation in Government departments and buildings, sea ports and companies he would only call "high profile" where there had been a suspected coronavirus case.
Just yesterday Government officials were in touch requesting that an area be Covid-19 cleaned before 4pm.
The sanitation process involves using a fogger to release a chemical mist and wiping down the entire room or affected area, before the whole room was treated.
"We use a product for killing the coronavirus if it is present. But a lot of it is precautionary measures," he said.
They were yet to clean a private home, he said, but they were getting many calls from people wanting to know what they could offer if or when they needed them.
"A part of it is people wanting to know more information."
Their first Covid-19 job was at the end of January when they were needed at a business where there had been a suspected case.
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Of their 32 fulltime and contract workers, two have refused to do any Covid-19 cleaning jobs - a decision the company respected, as safety and wellbeing were big priorities for them.
"We wear full protective wear and we get it," Loader said.
Carl Loader, of Crime Scene Cleaners, said their first Covid-19 cleaning job was at the end of January. Photo / Supplied
"They have to feel secure with what they're doing."
Loader said even during the lockdown they were carrying out their normal forensic cleaning services for people or families who were not in a position to do it themselves because of various circumstances.
"I feel very obligated to help people [in those situations].
