File this one under “expensive oops.” Training is so crucial when it comes to cleaning contractors, and facility managers have to be extremely careful when vetting their contractors to be sure each worker is properly trained. If not, the results can be disastrous.
A cleaning contractor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, turned off a circuit breaker, which in turn, shut off a freezer, destroying 20 years of research, according to The New York Times.
The university is now suing the cleaning contractor for $1 million for destroying the samples and for not properly training their employee.
The janitor cited “annoying alarms” as his reason for shutting off the circuit breaker. But the alarms had been set for the extremely temperature-sensitive cultures in the freezer went out of its required setpoint by 2 degrees. The contractor actually thought the breaker was off, which was what was causing the alarm. And he thought he was turning it back on, but misread the breaker guide, and turned them off instead.
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
