Safety Services Management Expands Illicit Drug-Contaminated Vehicle Cleaning Services to Illinois
Safety Services Management (SSM) is pleased to announce the expansion of its specialized vehicle cleaning services to Illinois. As a leader in fentanyl and drug lab cleanup, SSM offers expert remediation, testing, training, and consultation services for properties and vehicles contaminated by hazardous substances. This expansion will provide critical decontamination services to key cities throughout Illinois, ensuring public safety and environmental protection.
Safety Services Management (SSM), based in Los Angeles, is the only U.S. company using the MX908 handheld mass spectrometer for real-time illicit drug testing in vehicles. This advanced technology, typically used by HAZMAT teams and law enforcement, provides same-day results. SSM aims to reduce contamination risks while offering sustainable solutions through their cutting-edge methods and nationwide expansion goals.
Safety Services Management has partnered with Canadian Decon Solutions to bring cutting-edge technology to combat fentanyl contamination. With their expertise in safely decontaminating over 1,000 vehicles we are set to enhance safety for our customers and the environment. Stay tuned for more updates! #FentanylCrisis #PublicSafety #EnvironmentalProtection #SSM
When it comes to managing confined space safety, organizations face a critical choice: develop an in-house 'Confined Space Rescue Team' or hire external 'Confined Space Rescue Services.' In-house teams offer familiarity with the site and integrated team dynamics, which can enhance the speed and coordination of emergency responses. However, they require significant investment in training and equipment. On the other hand, third-party services bring specialized skills and reduce organizational liability, offering flexibility without the ongoing costs of maintaining a dedicated team. Despite these benefits, external teams may lack site-specific knowledge, which can impact the efficiency of their interventions.
Hotel staff, from cleaners to security personnel, are pivotal in ensuring the safety and well-being of guests. Illicit drug awareness training is crucial for recognizing drug activity signs, enhancing guest safety, and promoting a secure environment. Through these classes, staff learn to identify drug use indicators and handle drug-related incidents professionally, reducing risks to personnel and property. Additionally, such training reinforces the hotel's commitment to a drug-free environment and compliance with legal regulations, safeguarding both guests and the hotel's reputation. This proactive approach in substance abuse awareness is essential for maintaining a positive guest experience and mitigating potential legal liabilities.
Senate Bill 553, which is also known as the California Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, is a legislative bill created to address the rising incidents of violence in the workplace. It requires employers to develop and implement specific strategies and protocols to prevent and respond to workplace violence effectively.
In the past few years, a growing concern has been arising regarding accidental second-hand exposure to illicit drugs, primarily fentanyl and xyzaline. Historically, auto theft often resulted in parts being sold off, but recently, an increasing number of vehicles are being used by thieves for joyriding or as temporary shelter. This is leading to more cases where these cars are found with dangerous substances left behind like fentanyl, xyzaline, and methamphetamine. This poses a significant risk for the car owners and insurance companies responsible for releasing those vehicles back to property owners.
We are living in an opioid crisis which has had a devastating impact on the United States. This epidemic has not only effected those struggling with addiction and their loved ones but those tasked with working around this lethal chemical. What is less discussed are the professionals and innocent bystanders who also are being effected by this epidemic. This article aims to shed light on this new and growing hazard.
In a somber event from March 2022 in Blackwood, New Jersey, a 12-year-old boy tragically lost his life due to a suspected fentanyl overdose. Troy Nokes, 35 who is the boys uncle is in custody for allegations related to the boy's exposure to fentanyl.
According to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the Gloucester Township Police, Nokes faces charges including aggravated manslaughter. Fentanyl intoxication was identified as the cause by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office.
We are excited to announce the launch of the first and only fentanyl awareness program designed to protect employees working in the hospitality industry from accidental secondhand exposure. Illicit Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine and has been responsible for a significant increase in overdose deaths in recent years.
Our program is designed to educate employees working in environments who may come into contact with fentanyl.
WHAT IS A CONFINED SPACE?
According to OSHA, a Confined space means a space that: (1) Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; (2) Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry.); and (3) Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
An incident last November 2021 caused the life of a 35-year-old worker. The worker lost consciousness after descending into a regenerator overflow well at the Benicia refinery to evaluate the condition of the well interior and perform cleaning operations in advance of a welding crew.
In the weeks to follow, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho intends to provide Narcan, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, to every LAUSD campus. This is a great start to helping those who are actively overdosing. However, this does not stop the truckloads of lethal illegal drugs crossing our southern border.
While deaths of fentanyl users increasingly make the headline news, rarely if ever are there the untold stories of those responsible for decontaminating a property to make it fully safe and habitable.
Deaths associated with the illicit flow of fentanyl into American culture is often deemed to be an adult problem. In cities, addicts gathered in small clusters—like The Tenderloin district of San Francisco—will jump at any drug that comes their way. In the suburbs, people craving an exciting recreational high are at full risk because they don’t know what’s in a drug that has been purchased. Online dealers are notorious for flooding the market with fentanyl-laced powders and pills. These cases are proliferating in recent years, though too often they fall out of consciousness as an issue that is irrelevant. But what about the kids?
Nearly 20 years ago, Joe Mazzuca and his wife Julie founded Meth Lab Cleanup Company with the intent to clean up contaminated properties that were used as labs for manufacturing methamphetamine for the black market. In a conversation last fall with Mazzuca, he estimated that there are 2.5 million clandestine meth lab sites in the U.S.
Illicit fentanyl deaths continue to make the news almost daily with nation-wide cases involving recreational users and opioid addicts. The fine line between getting high and bottoming out in death is incredibly narrow. Fentanyl’s lethality amounts to two milligrams—small enough to fit on the tip of a sharpened pencil. That makes a contaminated space of a victim’s use or even as a cutting lab a monumental cleaning challenge for specialized crews.
In a November 2021 update, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 100,000 people died from overdoses in a 12-month period ending in April—the biggest increase ever seen in the U.S. The culprit? Fentanyl, which was the factor in 60 percent of the fatal overdoses. That represented a massive 50 percent increase in a single year.
The word is only slowly getting out in media circles about the dangers of illicit fentanyl trafficking.
In the 2019 The New York Times Magazine story “The China Connection: How a DEA Agent Cracked a Global Fentanyl Ring,” author Alex W. Palmer wrote: “A kilogram of fentanyl, purchased for only a few thousand dollars, can be mixed with heroin and made into a couple million dollars’ worth of pills. By contrast, a kilogram of undiluted heroin nets less than $80,000 in profit.”
Most people don’t recognize the dangers. Rock stars battling injuries from fatigue on the road have fallen prey to taking pain-killing drugs laced with fentanyl. Two of the music’s superstars fell into that category: Prince and Tom Petty.
Sports stars also have to be aware. Recently former Boston Bruins’ hockey player Jimmy Hayes died, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Massachusetts, “from acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine.” He became addicted to painkillers after suffering a hockey injury.
What people aren’t aware of is the tragic consequences of overdoses don’t end merely with a user’s death. Wherever a person has engaged in illicit fentanyl use, the dwelling may become a hazardous waste site. Even inhaling a speck of the drug can prove deadly.
Safety Services Management expands illicit drug-contaminated vehicle cleaning services to Illinois
Safety Services Management Expands Illicit Drug-Contaminated Vehicle Cleaning Services to Illinois
Safety Services Management (SSM) is pleased to announce the expansion of its specialized vehicle cleaning services to Illinois. As a leader in fentanyl and drug lab cleanup, SSM offers expert remediation, testing, training, and consultation services for properties and vehicles contaminated by hazardous substances. This expansion will provide critical decontamination services to key cities throughout Illinois, ensuring public safety and environmental protection.
CHICAGO (September 17, 2024) — Safety Services Management (SSM), a prominent U.S. company specializing in fentanyl and drug lab cleanup, as well as illicit drug remediation, testing, training, and consultation, has announced the expansion of its innovative vehicle cleaning services to Illinois.
This move will bring SSM’s expertise in safely decontaminating vehicles exposed to hazardous substances to key cities throughout Illinois and nearby areas.
Rising Auto Insurance Costs and Vehicle Contamination
With vehicle thefts on the rise, auto insurance premiums have surged, a trend worsened by the growing fentanyl crisis.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), vehicle thefts have increased by more than 10% in some regions over the past year.
This rise in densely populated areas like Chicago has led to more contamination cases, highlighting the importance of SSM’s services.
SSM Introduces Cutting-Edge Decontamination Technology
SSM remains the only private company in the nation to operate the MX908, a handheld mass spectrometer from 908 Devices Inc.
Typically used by hazmat teams and law enforcement, this device allows SSM to detect trace amounts of illicit drugs that would otherwise be invisible.
The MX908 enables rapid on-site analysis, reducing both the time and costs associated with traditional laboratory methods.
“Expanding into Illinois is a crucial step in our commitment to safeguarding public health and the environment,” said Jon Schibsted, CEO of SSM. “We’re transforming how vehicles contaminated by hazardous substances are restored, providing a valuable service to insurance companies and vehicle owners.”
Expanding Services Across the Region
SSM’s expansion will now allow the company to offer its vehicle decontamination services in major cities across Illinois and surrounding states, including:
Chicago, IL
St. Louis, MO
Indianapolis, IN
Milwaukee, WI
Springfield, IL
Peoria, IL
Bloomington, IL
Decatur, IL
Champaign, IL
Rockford, IL
Gary, IN
This expanded coverage ensures that regional clients can access SSM’s advanced services.
Advanced Technology and Sustainability
The MX908's ever-evolving chemical database enables SSM to detect the latest and most dangerous substances, making it a crucial tool in addressing the growing contamination issues.
By using this advanced technology, SSM reduces the need for vehicle destruction and minimizes waste, contributing to environmental sustainability.
National Expansion Plans
Expanding into Illinois is part of SSM’s larger goal of offering vehicle decontamination services in major cities nationwide.
By collaborating with local partners and utilizing cutting-edge technology, SSM is playing a pivotal role in tackling the fentanyl crisis and related drug contamination challenges.
“By partnering with local companies, we’re helping build a network of experts to combat the fentanyl crisis using the most advanced technology available,” Schibsted said.
About Safety Services Management
Safety Services Management (SSM) is a premier company specializing in fentanyl cleanup, drug lab decontamination, illicit drug remediation, testing, training, and consultation services.
SSM also offers nationwide confined space standby rescue services.
SSM is dedicated to promoting public safety and supporting environmental sustainability by utilizing cutting-edge technology and strategic partnerships.