The Job

Photo courtesy NECSC Decontaminating the company van after a clean-up

Cleaning up a crime scene is on most people's list of worst possible jobs, but it's not on everybody's. There are people who are well-suited to the work. What makes a successful crime-scene cleaner? First on the list of necessary traits is a strong stomach (no pukers) and the right psychological makeup. A crime-scene cleaner needs to be mentally stable -- depressives are probably not great candidates for the work, and most companies will reject people who show signs of voyeurism or a great enthusiasm for gore. Crime-scene clean-up is work, not entertainment, and cleaners have to be respectful and professional at all times. Empaths shouldn't apply, either -- the last thing you want at a crime scene is a sobbing cleaner. But the ability to sympathize from a distance is an asset in this line of work, since devastated family members might be present at the clean-up site.

Now, even if you get a job with a crime-scene clean-up outfit, you don't just climb into a biohazard suit and dig in when the next suicide happens. There's a good deal of training involved, including bloodborne pathogen training (learning the dangers, characteristics and proper safety procedures regarding the handling of bodily fluids), training in the proper use of protective gear and learning how to properly transport and dispose of dangerous waste. Candidates will also have to pass a "gross factor" test to make sure they can handle the work without throwing up. This type of training ranges from a graphic visual presentation of photos from previous clean-ups to an actual clean-up of animal remains. Most of this preparation occurs through the crime-scene clean-up company, but it may also include training and certification programs offered by a trade group or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Workers in this field have to get a Hepatitis B vaccine every five years, and they need to be in good overall health and physical condition. A clean-up job can require eight hours of scrubbing in a plastic suit in close quarters in summer heat, breaking through walls and moving furniture. Combine that with being on call 24/7, and you're looking at a potentially exhausting line of work. The average time a person spends as a cleaner is eight months. People burn out pretty quickly, and both employers and employees need to be on the lookout for signs of Critical Incident Stress Syndrome (CISS) and Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder (STSD). Both of these are stress disorders resulting from exposure to a traumatic situation and to people immediately involved in a traumatic situation. CISS and STSD can cause health problems, depression, anxiety disorders and chronic nightmares. Constant exposure to tragedy isn't good for anybody, and even the most stoic cleaners can be affected by the work. It can be worth the trouble, though: In a field that doesn't require a college degree, salaries typically start around $35,000 and move up to around $50,000 with experience, and it's possible to reach six figures in a big city with a lot of violent deaths and meth labs.

Which brings us to the thing about crime-scene clean-up that some people have issues with: The more people who die violently and/or alone, the more money crime-scene cleaners make. While these companies are providing a real service for people desperately in need, cleaning up crime scenes is a business, pure and simple.