Branch Environmental Keeping You Safe

During COVID-19 and Everyday

Here at Branch Environmental your health, safety, and well-being are our top priorities. We are experts in environmental safety and air quality, and we treat your home or business like our own. We want to reassure you that you and your family are safe when we come to inspect or to work on site. For this post, we will talk about the details of our inspection process and how we do the work we do.

What kinds of inspections does Branch Environmental perform?

We are experts at removing environmental toxins, and have over 25 years of experience. Our specially trained inspectors can inspect your home for mold, asbestos, and lead. Inspectors can also evaluate water, storm, and fire damage to your home. To eliminate indoor toxins, we first inspect to identify the problem.

How can I be sure inspectors won’t bring in COVID-19?

Our inspectors are specially trained to wear the proper protective equipment (ppe) and deal with environmental toxins like mold, asbestos, lead, bacteria, and viruses. The inspector will be wearing a N-95 mask (the same kind hospitals use), gloves, and disposable shoe covers when they arrive at your home or business. Inspectors dispose of masks, gloves, and shoe covers after each inspection.

The inspector will keep a 6 ft distance at all times. At your request, they can inspect just the area of the home or business that is a problem, such as a basement. However, inspections are usually performed for the entire building, so as not to miss hidden contaminates.

How do I know the air I breathe in my home

will be safe during a clean-up operation?

To begin environmental remediation (for mold, asbestos, or lead), the area to be cleaned and repaired is isolated from the rest of the home or business. The work area is contained with plastic barrier walls and negative air flow is used.1 Negative air flow is when air enters a room and is pulled through the room, but does not re-enter the building.1 Clean air is pulled into the room, and is then expelled to the outdoors.1 This is important to keep contaminants like mold spores, viruses (like COVID-19), volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), microbial volatile organic compounds (mvoc’s), dust, and other small particles from entering your home during the work.2,3

Figure 1 – Negative Air Flow

Hospitals use negative air pressure in the exact same way to keep patients with COVID-19 isolated from other patients.1 Air enters the area for COVID-19 patients, and the air is expelled to the outside. The air is NOT returned to the building to reduce cross contamination.1

Disinfection

After cleanup is disinfection. We daily disinfect surfaces, and routinely use Ozone disinfection. Ozone is an extremely effective odor neutralizer and disinfectant killing bacteria, fungi, and viruses.5 Using negative air flow at low rates, ozone is used at the end of the day when the work area is empty. Negative Air Flow expels the ozone safely to the outdoors. Ozone disinfection with negative air flow is the same type of disinfection hospitals use when cleaning rooms that were used by patients with COVID-19. 1, 5

When do I call? Do I call as soon as there is damage to my property, or after I call my insurance agent?

Put out the fire, or turn off the water. Then, call us first! As the owner, it is your responsibility to protect your property and minimize any further losses from the damage. That means getting your property dry before the water spreads and mold starts to grow. Your insurance company will expect you to stop the source of the leak and begin to dry your home, and a formal approval is generally not required.

After your property is dry and the damage has been mitigated, we will move into the restoration phase. During this phase, your insurance agent will be more involved and approve work before it is executed.

Do you help with insurance claims?

Yes, we deal with insurance claims on a regular basis and will assist you in submitting your claim properly and effectively. We believe that your home can be fully restored to whole, and we will be your advocate throughout the claim process.

Overview

As a company, we believe that nobody should live or work in a building that makes them sick. Going above and beyond government standards, we take every precaution, to protect your health and the health of your family. We are experts in environmental safety and air quality, with over 25 years of experience. We treat your home or business like our own. Call us to schedule an inspection today!

Branch Environmental – Because nobody should live or work in a building that makes them sick.

For more information go to:

1. COVID-19 and Negative Pressure Rooms in Hospitals – CHT Healthcare
2. Volatile Organic Compounds’ Impact on Indoor Air Quality | US EPA
3. What’s that musty smell? MVOC’s – Branch Environmental
4. How to Disinfect Properly – Branch Environmental
5. COVID-19 & DISINFECTION WITH OZONE – Prime Facility Solutions and Services
6. Disinfecting, Sterilizing, and Sanitizing is there a Difference? – Branch Environmental

Disclaimers:

Blog information is NOT intended to provide or replace medical advice. NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.

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