A careless mistake that is expensive. A cleaning company is now being sued by a research institute in New York State (USA) after an employee accidentally destroyed research samples dating back decades.
The man is accused of having turned off a low temperature freezer on September 17, 2020, while doing his job as a cleaning employee at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute located in the city of Troy. Disturbed by the shrill sound of the freezer’s alarm, he then turned it off via the circuit breaker, despite there being a sign on the lab’s freezer door explaining how to mute the sound.
Damage estimated at one million dollars
The institute has just launched legal proceedings, because the damage for this research laboratory is estimated at one million dollars (about 916,000 euros), says the local weekly Times Union. The freezer contained cell cultures, samples and other research items which were stored at -80°C.
The alarm that was in progress when the cleaner unplugged this freezer sounded to signal a temperature rise above -78°C or drop below -82°C. It was being repaired at the time, as indicated by the sign pasted on the door: “This freezer is ringing because it is being repaired. Please do not move or unplug it. »
After the power cut, the temperature then rose to -32°C, which irreparably damaged the laboratory samples. They were being kept as part of photosynthesis research, which was potentially ‘breakthrough’ in the further development of solar panels, according to lawyers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, quoted by the BBC. They assure that it is “25 years of research that have been destroyed”.
2023-06-29 09:23:00
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