Every lab has it's own suite of shared equipment. Often these items aren't cared for as much as those designated for use by an individual researcher. Since no single person is responsible for their maintenance, they often get covered in grime, go uncalibrated for extended periods of time, and "mysteriously break" or "stop working all by themselves". Shared items in the Sahai lab are generally well taken care of; perhaps one of the more beneficial side-effects that come with keeping the size of the lab down (fewer suspects when something goes awry). Still, there are other issues from which no lab is immune.
Every member of a lab has their own research projects; each with their own unique protocols and requirements. This means that even though some people may depend on the same piece of equipment, the ways in which they use it may conflict with the plans other people have for it-- whether that means modifying/programming an item for customization or needing it at a particular time for a given length of time (so that others can't use it). People either deal with these situations in one of two ways: 1) Pulling rank (seniority dictates priority) or 2) Trying to work through conflicts by planning in advance (discussing with others who needs what, when and for how long). The latter is generally preferred in this lab and usually, that seems to work fairly well for everyone.
Problems arise however, when someone in the "chain of custody" loses sight of what his/her colleagues need. In my case, someone shut off a high-temperature heat block I was using near the end of one of my experiments (specifically, I was studying the adsorption of DPPC on alpha-Al2O3). Once I realized what had happened, I spoke with the only other person who was in the lab with me that day. Rather than admitting it was an accident, I was assaulted by a torrent of lies and excuses in rapid succession which I found utterly insulting (this person was not a lab member, by the way).
Something many people don't realize about me is that I have always been very good at analyzing microexpressions. As an undergraduate, I also took a lot of psychology courses, where I gained an appreciation for signs of deception (and plenty of A's too). Sure I was disappointed that I'd have to start over because of someone else's mistake, but it was an accident. People make honest mistakes all the time and I can appreciate that. What really bothered me was the fact that this person preferred to lie about it, instead of apologize. It took this person over an hour to say they were sorry and even then, it was very hard for them to resist making excuses.
So, if you ever find yourselves in a situation where you make an honest mistake that compromises someone else's work, the best thing to do is own up to it, apologize and offer to make ammends. If you are dishonest about your accidents and someone catches you, they could come to resent you for it and may not be willing to help you out in the future. Research groups really are like surrogate families; everyone is supposed to look out for everyone else. How would you be able to trust your siblings if you already know that they can't trust you? There is plenty of inter-lab rivalry in science already! Who needs bickering from within? Besides anything that raises your lab's status as a whole, makes it's individual members look good too!
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