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 online training by working through two case studies: one biological hazard (salmonella typhi handling procedures), and one chemical hazard (acrylamide for gels). CSS trainers provide a show and tell while demonstrating the safety equipment in the mock lab. 

We anticipate training hundreds of interns this summer. 

We are proud to be training the next generation of researchers!

Man holds a sharps container while talking to students.
CSS staff train summer interns on laboratory safety equipment.
Woman points to a warning sign while talking to students
CSS staff train summer interns on the meaning of laboratory signs.

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Safety Support To First Responders

First responders put their lives on the line to help others, and our team helps safeguard their protection.  Our team on contract with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Respiratory Protection Program works with staff to test respirators and establish secure fits. Similarly, they provide these fit tests for fire department personnel on a regular…

Bee on a flower

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…

Rapid Reporting of a Close Call Incident

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…