A collapsed container with white powder scattered around sits on top of a barrel next to two rubber gloves.

CSS Safety Protocols

During a routine collection of waste, a container of white powder disintegrated without warning, causing the powder to spill and be expelled into the air. Thanks to CSS’s safety protocols and quick response, our Center for Disease Control waste disposal staff was able to assess the situation and respond to the chemical spill. The highly skilled team immediately evaluated the situation using our Incident Mishap Protocol. It was determined that the building’s exhaust ventilation system contained the dust cloud and personal protective equipment prevented injuries from occurring. Further inspection showed that the powder was a non-hazardous waste, deeming the incident a close call!  

The project manager began an incident investigation to see how improvements could be made. Our staff determined that the container was handled multiple times─first from the hardened top and then from the side, which disintegrated. In addition, the program manager noted that the container appeared “old.” 

As a result of the investigation, our team recommended laboratorians use secondary containment (such as, plastic bags) as an engineering control on waste older than five years. They also began training laboratorians to recognize potential container degradation and the new secondary containment procedures.

See More Success CSS Stories

Examining Cetaceans for Contamination and Pathogens

CSS has employee owners who are experts in monitoring cetacean health. Several CSS scientists supporting NOAA’s Centers for Coastal Ocean Science have recently conducted research and tests on marine mammals to explore uncommon behaviors and causes for strandings. View some examples of this research below. Microplastics are becoming increasingly abundant in coastal and marine environments.…

split pane with 1-meter land cover data on left showing details of roads, buildings, creeks, and wetlands. 30-meter land cover data on right showing blocky colors that don't provide details.

New Heavily Desired High Resolution Land Cover Data for the U.S. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the launch of the long desired high-resolution coastal land cover data. This highly anticipated data are available for most coastal areas of the U.S., including Alaska and the U.S. territories.    CSS employee owners contributed to the release of this data set by participating in production activities and…

Employee Owners Nominated for NOAA Gold Medal Award 

Congratulations to CSS employee owners supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science for their nomination for the NOAA Gold Medal Award! CSS employee owners have been critical members of the team charged with the rapid development of spatial models that aid in offshore wind planning in the Gulf of Mexico. The team has collected…