There are certain issues that are universal to the workplace, any workplace, no matter where you work or what you do. And one of the biggest and most difficult workplace issues is one you may be dealing with right now: taking care of the office refrigerator.

I’ve had managers, executives and HR professionals at virtually every office I’ve ever worked in, big or small, struggle to deal with how to keep this communal experience clean, safe and accessible for all. Problem is, the old adage that Mom used to drill into your head—clean up after yourself—somehow seems to be forgotten by workers in the day-to-day flow of workplace life.

Bottom line is, everyone likes to use the office refrigerator but no one wants to take responsibility for what gets left in it. And anyone who actually takes some initiative and tries to proactively deal with the issue usually finds that the old adage that “no good deed goes unpunished” is absolutely spot-on when it comes to the office fridge.

Lord help anyone who accidentally throws out something someone wants amidst the moldy yogurt, rotting fruit and month-old sandwiches. You’ll certainly be taken to task for your good work, and maybe even dragged into court to defend why you didn’t give adequate notice before you tossed the offending food items.

So, add this to your list of office refrigerator horror stories. When a worker at an AT&T call center in San Jose, California decided to clean the communal fridge, it led to 325 AT&T employees getting evacuated “to a parking lot that was the company’s designated evacuation site, [while] 50 firefighters and 18 emergency vehicles raced to the scene. Seven employees, who were vomiting or complaining of nausea, were treated at area hospitals,” according to a story in the San Jose Mercury News.

According to the newspaper, “the aroma of rotting food” coming from the offending refrigerator at the AT&T office was hard for others to stomach. But when an employee decided to remove the mess to a conference room and scour the fridge with a cleaning fluid similar to 409 or Lysol, that’s when the real problem began.

“The woman on fridge duty had previously undergone nasal surgery for allergies,” the newspaper said, so she didn’t smell a thing. Others in her office did, however, and another employee sprayed a different chemical cleaner into the air, assuming it would temper the scent.

“And that’s when the party started,” said Fire Capt. Barry Stallard.

It led to the San Jose Fire Department’s hazmat team being called in, the office evacuation, and 28 people “with functioning noses [who] had to be checked out by paramedics after they were overcome by fumes.”

So, is there a lesson to be learned from this office nightmare? There is, of course: Everyone in the workforce needs to take responsibility for what they leave in the office fridge, and everyone needs to deal with their mess before it turns toxic. And if someone decides to take on the unpleasant chore of cleaning out the refrigerator, pat them on the back for their teamwork and diligence.

But whatever you do, also make sure they have a properly functioning nose. 

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