In a surprising development, a janitor at a private New York university ruined more than 20 years of research in September 2020 by locking a freezer after being bothered by repeated alarms, according to a lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute not against the janitor, but against his employer, Deagle Cleaning Systems Inc., seeking US$1 million in damages and legal fees, reports CNN.
According to the lawsuit, the freezer stored more than 20 years of research, including cell cultures and samples that needed to be maintained at minus 80 degrees. It states that even a slight variation of three degrees in temperature can cause catastrophic damage to the samples.
The alarm was reportedly set off after the temperature of the samples rose to minus 78 degrees Celsius, which was observed by professor KV Lakshmi of the institute. While waiting for emergency repairs, Lakshmi’s team is alerted by the freezer alarm.
However, the janitor, in an attempt to help what he called an ‘annoying alarm’, disconnected the power supply to the freezer, causing the temperature to rise to minus 32 degrees. The university’s lawsuit states that despite the team’s best efforts, most of the samples were “damaged, destroyed and could not be saved”.
The university blamed Deagle Cleaning Systems for failing to properly train and supervise the janitors involved in destroying the research. “Defendant, through its negligent, careless, and/or negligent supervision and control [the janitor]harmed certain cell cultures, specimens and/or research in the laboratory,” the lawsuit filed by the university states.
Michael Ginsberg, a lawyer for the Rensselaer Institute, said the watchman’s conduct was the result of “human error”. He continued, “The crux of the matter, however, is that the cleaning company failed to adequately train its personnel. A cleaner should be trained not to attempt to fix an electrical problem himself.”