CSS supports several Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campuses throughout the U.S. On-site CSS personnel are trained in hazardous material spill response and clean-up and provide this support within buildings and throughout campuses. As part of our contract with the CDC Hazardous Waste Program, CSS hazmat-trained employee owners are responsible for safely collecting, storing, and shipping hazardous and universal waste, as well as training laboratorians in spill control procedures, universal waste, and the Center for Disease Control’s online waste ticketing system. 

A recent automobile collision on the CDC Atlanta campus caused battery acid, oil, transmission fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and antifreeze to spill into the roadway. Following the scene being secured by first responders, CSS hazmat-trained staff responded to and cleaned up the hazardous material to prevent further contamination. They used absorbent pads specifically designed for use in hazmat clean-up, and universal absorbent pillows to prevent chemicals from spreading and running into storm drains. 

Cones line a cross walk where absorbent pads cover a spill.
CSS staff use absorbent pads to clean up hazardous automobile fluids.
A cross walk with cones marking a clean-up area. Absorbent pads and pillows cover a storm drain.
Staff barricade storm drains with absorbent pads and weighted pillows to prevent hazardous fluids from flowing into drains.

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woman pointing to a sign talking to a group of students

Training the Next Generation of Researchers 

CSS staff support the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Division of Occupational Safety and Health by providing Safe Techniques Advance Research Science (STARS) training to summer interns. Following a pause during the pandemic, staff resumed training May 15, 2024. During the in-person STARS training, CSS staff cover key concepts from the pre-requisite NIH Lab Safety…

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Developing a Database for Ecosystem Service Models 

CSS scientists have been major developers and contributors to the online U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EcoService Models Library (ESML) database since its inception in 2012. The ESML database contains detailed but concise descriptions of ecosystem service models to facilitate the selection of models by ecosystem scientists for a variety of management and research applications. The…

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Hurricane Helene One Year Later: Shedding Light on the Impact 

It’s been one year since Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage throughout the southern Appalachia region, especially Tennessee and North Carolina, where several rivers experienced above-record flooding. CSS employee owners (previously Riverside Technology, inc.) supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) helped develop a Hurricane Helene StoryMap, Helene in Southern Appalachia, a dynamic tool that integrates diverse…