According to the Associated Press, “MRI Machine Sucks In Floor Buffer, Worker’s Earring”.
SEATTLE — An expensive MRI machine at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage when a metal floor buffer was mistakenly placed nearby and was sucked in by the machine’s powerful magnets.
It happened Jan. 3 when a member of the housekeeping staff improperly took the buffer near the machine, despite a warning sign not to use metal objects near it.
Several hospital workers tried to remove the buffer. Instead, according to a hospital incident report, one worker lost an earring and another had his hearings aids destroyed.
Damage is estimated to be at least $200,000.
To further demonstrate the power of an MRI magnet, two members of Medgadget’s janitorial team were forced to disassemble the in-house MRI and to display the magnet for our dedicated audience.