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Risks of Being a Crime Scene Technician

Crime scene investigation requires the handling all types of potentially hazardous material, from blood and other physical evidence collected at the scene to the chemicals and other materials used by technicians as they perform their jobs. Failure to follow established safety and health procedures regarding the handling and disposal of hazardous material exposes crime scene technicians and others to a variety of risks.

  1. Communicable Diseases

    • Technicians collecting evidence at crime scene must handle a range of biological evidence, including blood, saliva, semen and other bodily fluids. These fluids can contain any of a range of communicable diseases, including HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis and hepatitis. Because crime scene technicians often have little or no knowledge of the medical history of the victims of a crime or of the perpetrators, they must exercise maximum caution and follow all safety precautions when collecting and handling evidence.

    Contamination

    • Besides the risk of contracting a disease from improper handling of bodily fluid samples and other biological evidence, crime scene technicians also run the risk of contaminating people around them, the evidence and crime scenes as a whole if they do not follow proper precautions regarding the handling of evidence. Even stepping on a blood spatter can transfer that blood to a person's shoes, creating a risk of infection or contamination. In addition, crime scene technicians must carefully handle the chemicals and powders, such as the powder used for collecting fingerprints, to avoid harming themselves through exposure to chemicals. Evidence that becomes contaminated through improper handling can become a problem later when a case goes to court.

    Proper Disposal

    • The risks associated with crime scene technician work do not end with collecting the evidence for examination and analysis. Technicians also must observe proper safeguards relating to cleanup of crime scenes and disposal of potentially hazardous materials. Dangerous materials must be disposed of in containers designed for biohazardous waste. Failure to do so could pose risks to the public. For example, a child or a homeless person digging in garbage containers could become seriously ill by touching contaminated or infected material that a crime scene technician carelessly discarded.

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