Steven Averett, Content Director, Waste Group

June 1, 2009

1 Min Read
Cold Cocked

You may think that that moldering, half-eaten burrito you've been carefully neglecting in the break room fridge is no big deal. But you're wrong. Dead wrong.

An office worker in the AT&T building in San Jose, Calif., tried to be a hero and clean the break room fridge. The unplugged refrigerator was packed with rotten lunches. That stench, combined with fumes from the chemicals she was using to scrub the fouled appliance, elicited a call to 911. Firefighters evacuated the building and a hazmat team was summoned. Seven co-workers wound up in the hospital and 28 people had to be treated for vomiting and nausea. Conveniently, the good Samaritan was fine, as her sense of smell had been incapacitated due to allergies.

For God's sake, send those people some baking soda!

SOURCE: Associated Press

About the Author(s)

Steven Averett

Content Director, Waste Group, Waste360

Steven Averett joined the Waste Age staff in February 2006. Since then he has helped the magazine expand its coverage and garner a range of awards from FOLIO, the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Magazine Association of the Southeast (MAGS). He recently won a Gold Award from ASBPE for humor writing.

Before joining Waste Age, Steven spent three years as the staff writer for Industrial Engineer magazine, where he won a gold GAMMA Award from MAGS for Best Feature. He has written and edited material covering a wide range of topics, including video games, film, manufacturing, and aeronautics.

Steven is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned a BA in English.

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