Communications of the ACM
Janitor's Error Destroyed Decades of Research, Lawsuit Says
It will take an estimated $1 million to recreate the research, the university's attorney said.
Credit: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
A custodial worker switched off a super-cold freezer in a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute lab — destroying decades of scientific research and causing a least $1 million in damage, according to a lawsuit filed by the university against the outside firm that employed the cleaner.
The freezer contained cell cultures, samples, and other research elements that were stored at minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit until September 2020, when an employee of Daigle Cleaning Services turned off a circuit breaker. That caused the temperature to rise and resulted in the materials being damaged or destroyed, according to the lawsuit.
The freezer shut down when the cleaner turned off a beeping alarm that he found to be annoying, according to the lawsuit, despite the presence of a sign on the door to the lab's freezer explaining the source of the alarm.
"People's behavior and negligence caused all this. Unfortunately, they wiped out 25 years of research," said Michael Ginsberg, RPI's attorney. Ginsberg said it is estimated it will take $1 million to recreate the research.
From Times Union
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