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.

See More CSS Insights

Assisting With Maui Wildfire Recovery

As part of our support to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 Superfund Technical Assessment & Response Team (START)—for which we are subcontracted through Weston Solutions, Inc.—CSS employee owners have been on-site in three-week rotations to assist throughout the rigorous recovery process. 

Beakers on a lab counter

An Approach to Assessing Laboratory Space 

CSS employee owners were part of a team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health who developed an approach to evaluating new laboratory space to determine if the space will fit operational needs. This concept, titled The BaseLINE Approach, combines traditional safety processes with additional safety and environmental factors to assess before operations begin.…

Contributing to Wind Energy Area Designations 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently announced two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The WEAs are located off the coasts of Galveston, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana and have the potential to power nearly three million homes.   BOEM collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify…