Global Courant
The reason he gave was that there was an alarm sound that was very “annoying,” according to a lawsuit filed by lawyers for the affected institution in New York.
According to the lawyers, the samples stored at -80°C were “unsavageable”, causing US$1 million worth of damage.
The university where the laboratory was located has sued the cleaning company of the employee in question for having improperly trained him.
There was a button to mute it
The incident occurred in September 2020 at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Major research on photosynthesis was being conducted there, led by Professor KV Lakshmi, which had the potential to be “pioneering” in advancing the development of solar panels, according to the institute’s lawyer.
The lab had a contract with the cleaning company for $1.4 million.
A few days before the freezer was turned off, an alarm went off warning of a 3°C rise in temperature.
Although the fluctuation could have been catastrophic, Professor Lakshmi “determined that cell cultures, samples and research were not impaired,” the lawsuit reads.
Due to covid-19 pandemic restrictions at the time, freezer repairs would take a week.
Meanwhile, they put up a sign warning: “This freezer is beeping because it is under repair. Please do not move it or unplug it. It is not necessary to clean this area.”
“You can press the alarm/test silence button for 5-10 seconds if you want to silence the sound.”
Getty Images The incident occurred in September 2020 at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy in New York.
But days after the alarm began to sound, the cleaner pulled the switch that supplied electricity to the freezer.
According to a report filed by the institute’s security personnel, the janitor thought he was turning the switch on when he had actually turned it off, the New York Post reported.
When the researchers discovered the error, the temperature had risen by 50 degrees, to -30 °C.
Most of the samples that were meant to be kept at -80°C were “compromised, destroyed and beyond salvage, throwing away more than 20 years of research,” according to the lawsuit.
Attorney Michael Ginsberg told NBC News that the janitor heard “nuisance alarms.”
Lawyers who interviewed him said that “even so, he did not seem to believe that he had done anything wrong, but was only trying to help”.
The institute’s legal team claims that the company that employed the worker failed to adequately train its employee.
The cleaning company declined to comment.
