The Door’s Stuck!

All Situation Room examples are constructed and not descriptions of actual events.

Published on: December 2, 2023
Walter Routh
Categories: The Situation Room
Share This Article with the Stability Community!

What is the stability situation?

While preparing for an upcoming audit a lab technician we’ll call “Lily” arrived at 6:00 AM on Saturday to inventory three walk-in chambers—a 5°C refrigerator, a 40°C/75%RH walk-in, and large 25°C/60%RH room. She came in early with hopes of having time to do some Christmas shopping later. No one else was in the stability area at the time, but others were expected to help out at 9:00. Weekend work is optional, but also sought after for some extra income and to catch up.

Lily decided to start in the room-temperature chamber to avoid getting sweaty or cold so early in the day. She accessed the chamber with her badge to release the maglocks that secured it, then after about 30 minutes she needed to exit the room to get supplies, but when she tried to release the door, it would not open. For several minutes she tried unsuccessfully and, getting a bit panicky, pulled the emergency release to get out, which brought security personnel and a bit more excitement.

What if Lily had been in the 40°C/75%RH room or in the -20°C freezer? What if the problem couldn’t have been solved by the emergency door release? Two more hours in either of those rooms could have been fatal, which has raised some serious safety questions for us.

How should this be resolved?

Should we ban all solo work in the chamber area? What are some safety policies you have in place to prevent similar situations? Do you have panic buttons or policies preventing people working alone in the area?

We Want to Hear Your Thoughts!

  • November 2, 2024

    A simple dating extension turned south, so the company is faced with difficult options ranging from conservative and time-consuming to risky but keeping the project on track.

  • October 5, 2024

    Packaging is being changed late in development while also trying to shortcut around quality checks and balances that Stability is intended for. How does a quality representative explain to upper management the risk they are taking on?

  • September 7, 2024

    What are some ways we could finish cooking this half-baked digitalization process and make our digitized data even more accessible and user friendly?

Share your questions and experiences

A stabilitarian encounters new situations every day. StabilityHub’s discussion forums give Stabilitarians an opportunity to ask questions and offer solutions to specific scenarios. Join in the conversations with other Stabilitiarians and share your knowledge!

A stabilitarian encounters new situations every day. StabilityHub’s discussion forums give Stabilitarians an opportunity to ask questions and offer solutions to specific scenarios. Join in the conversations with other Stabilitiarians and share your knowledge!