Lawsuit Claims Custodian’s Error Results in Loss of $1M Worth of Research

In a lawsuit, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York reveals that more than two decades of “potentially groundbreaking” research were lost due to an unfortunate incident caused by a custodian. The university had a long-standing contract with Daigle Cleaning Systems Inc. for the cleaning of the Cogswell Building lab. However, in September 2020, something went terribly wrong, as reported by the Albany Times-Union. Inside a freezer, crucial research samples that needed to be maintained at -80 degrees Celsius were stored. An alarm was set to trigger if the temperature deviated by 2 degrees Celsius. Regrettably, the alarm malfunctioned, and a custodian mistakenly switched off the entire freezer, as reported by NBC News.

The mishap occurred shortly after the alarm had gone off, even though the samples were at a safe temperature. Due to the COVID pandemic, emergency maintenance services from the manufacturer could not be provided until a week later. In the interim, safety precautions were implemented, including a sign on the freezer indicating that it was undergoing repairs and instructions on how to mute the alarm if necessary. However, on the night of the incident, the custodian mistakenly believed that the breakers were off and attempted to switch them on, resulting in the opposite effect, according to the lawsuit. Subsequently, the following day, the research staff discovered that the freezer’s temperature had risen catastrophically, leading to the destruction of the research.

The complaint states, “The Graduate Research Staff discovered that the Freezer was off and that the temperature had risen to the point of destruction of the contained research.” It further alleges that a majority of the specimens, along with over 20 years of research, were compromised and rendered unsalvageable. The school is now taking legal action against the cleaning company, accusing them of inadequate training of their employee, who has special needs. The research in question focused on “Solar energy conversion in photosynthesis systems; capturing and converting it to useable energy” and was valued at over $1 million. (Read more scientific research stories.)