26 June 2023 , 17:06
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A university janitor's attempt to silence a persistent alarm has landed them in hot water, as they unknowingly switched off a storage freezer containing vital scientific research worth a staggering $1 million.
According to a lawsuit filed by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the janitor, at a laboratory at a university in Troy, New York, employed by Daigle Cleaning Services, inadvertently shut off a storage freezer while attempting to silence a constant beeping noise.
The freezer contained vital cell cultures, samples, and research elements, which were stored at a frigid temperature of minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit.
As a result, the temperature inside the freezer rose to minus-25.6 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in significant damage or destruction to the contents.
Stored inside were precious cell cultures, samples, and research elements, all exposed to a disastrous rise in temperature. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)Allegedly, there was a sign on the lab's freezer door providing instructions on how to silence the alarm, stating, "This freezer is beeping as it is under repair. Please do not move or unplug it. No cleaning required in this area."
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Despite this warning, the cleaner proceeded to shut off the circuit breaker, unknowingly causing irreparable harm.
Attorney, Michael Ginsberg, stated that recreating the research on photosynthesis would cost an estimated $1 million.
The loss of 25 years' worth of research was attributed to the negligence and actions of individuals involved.
Professor K.V. Lakshmi's lab, located in the research center, stored materials in the freezer at a temperature of minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit, with alarm settings designed to prevent damage or destruction of samples.
On September 18, 2020, the day after the cleaner cut off the freezer's electricity, Lakshmi's graduate research staff discovered the elevated temperature.
Despite their efforts to salvage the research materials, a significant portion of the specimens was irreversibly compromised, resulting in the loss of over 20 years of research.
During the investigation conducted by the university's safety staff, the cleaner admitted to hearing "annoying alarms" and attempting to stop the beeping by accessing the open electrical box.
However, he mistakenly turned off the electrical breakers instead of turning them on, due to an error in reading the electrical box.
Daigle Cleaning Services had a contract worth $1.427 million for the fall semester of 2020, which included cleaning services for the university's facilities, including the Cogswell Building housing the chemistry-biology research center.