It's A Dirty Job...

By: Bob Shryock-Gloucester County Times Staff

Bio-Clean of New Jersey is headquartered in Glassboro, but its service area stretches regionally to Washington, D.C, where it decontaminated anthrax at a federal mail facility, and New York City, where its workers spent three days in the aftermath of 9/11 doing recovery and clean-up work at buildings adjacent to the twin towers at Ground Zero.

And as a 9/11 spin-off, Bio-Clean cleaned the Jersey City apartment of a man who killed himself after losing his life's domestic partner in the tragedy. He was distraught because of his heart-wrenching view of the Manhattan skyline.

So the gamut of services offered by Bio-Clean, which specializes in bio-recovery, is far-reaching.

"You have to care for people," says Bio-Clean CEO Andy Yurchuck of the highly sensitive nature of his business. "There's nothing worse than a family having to clean up. We've never turned anyone away. We try to help people through their worst days and make their lives better."

A member of the American Bio-Recovery Association, Bio-Clean removes bio-hazardous substances left at the scene of accidents, homicides, suicides and natural deaths.

Technicians remove and disinfect for H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other infectious pathogens.

"You have to care for people," says Bio-Clean CEO Andy Yurchuck of the highly sensitive nature of his business. "There's nothing worse than a family having to clean up. We've never turned anyone away. We try to help people through their worst days and make their lives better."

A member of the American Bio-Recovery Association, Bio-Clean removes bio-hazardous substances left at the scene of accidents, homicides, suicides and natural deaths.

Technicians remove and disinfect for H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other infectious pathogens.

Specific services include bio-terrorism, human waste, odors, contagious diseases, bird, bat and rodent droppings, mold, and disaster and mass casualty incidents (airplane crashes, train wrecks, explosions, crime scenes.) The work is not for the faint of heart.

Bio-Clean is in compliance with recommendations from OSHA, the Centers for Disease Control, New Jersey Department of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Its high-tech process provides total decontamination. After cleaning the affected areas, technicians use disinfectant foggers that penetrate surfaces and crevices. Then ozone oxidation removes any trace of pathogens.

"If it can make you sick, we specialize," says Yurchuck, who lists Bio-Clean's five primary assignments as death scene clean-up, airborne mold, infection control, blackwater sewerage and packrat/hoarders.

He has a thousand stories he can't repeat.

Clearly, not everyone is suited for the work.

"So I hire people on personality, more than experience, people with integrity," says Yurchuck, who has five full-time and 25 part-time employees, several, like him, on 24-hour call. "Before bringing them on board, I interview people carefully. They must have good customer service skills. Then we train people on what we need them to do."

Yurchuck, whose home is Williamstown, played football and ran track at Delsea Regional High School (Class of 1986.) He studied facilities management at Green Mountain, Vt. College ('90) and managed swimming pools, buildings and schools for a few years before entering Rowan to seek his masters in communications/PR, an interesting diversion. He got "all the way down to the thesis," but didn't finish.

He returned to facilities management at GCIT as a consultant and director before deciding to combine two areas of expertise: Cleaning/janitorial and his background as a Franklin Township and Glassboro EMT. One of Bio-Clean's first jobs was cleaning the home of a North Jersey man who had terminal cancer and shot himself.

"There was little competition in our business then," says Yurchuck, noting there are 3,000 such companies nationwide today but only a handful in New Jersey including a new one in Gloucester County.

"Companies come and go quickly. It's not a get-rich-quick business. It takes a lot of dedication and time. As an EMT, I helped people and saved lives. That was rewarding. But that pales in comparison to helping the little old lady whose husband has just killed himself."

Observing that "the saddest jobs are ones that involve children," Yurchuck said 20-percent of Bio-Clean's work is clean-up after murders and suicides, the other 80-percent bio-hazardous emergencies.

"Could be sewer backups, mold restoration, rare books that got wet, disease control, graffiti control.

Unsanitary conditions at a crime scene. But we don't do a lot of arson.

"We'll work with people regarding cost. New Jersey has a victims' assistance program. We have a payment plan. There was a lady who needed two years to pay a bill, but that was OK. It's good business. If you take care of people, they'll take care of you.

"We're there to help them at the toughest time in their lives. I have no idea how they feel when they've been struck by tragedy.

"I get calls 24 hours a day. It's the nature of the business. I just don't take any of it home with me."

---------------------Copyright (c) Gloucester County Times. All Rights Reserved.-------------------
July 22, 2008 Edition

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