Lab worker injured in mishap at Massachusetts General Hospital building in Charlestown

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

A lab worker at a Massachusetts General Hospital building in Charlestown was injured when a beaker broke.

A beaker shattered this afternoon in a Charlestown lab, dealing a serious cut to a technician’s arm. A firefighter also suffered an unrelated injury exiting a fire truck responding to the incident, authorities said.

A lab technician on the sixth floor of the building operated by Massachusetts General Hospital was working with a chemical called tetrazine when the vessel broke, said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald.

He said the worker suffered an arm injury, but no hazardous material was released.

Some workers in the building evacuated according to their own protocols, MacDonald said, but they were able to reenter shortly after firefighters arrived at about 3 p.m.

He said investigators were on scene this afternoon trying to determine how the glassware shattered and if all appropriate safety precautions were taken.

A firefighter suffered an unrelated, minor injury while exiting a fire truck, MacDonald said.

Jennifer Mehigan, a spokeswoman for Boston EMS, said the firefighter and the technician were both taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.

She said the technician suffered “a serious cut” on his arm but was stabilized on scene before being taken to the hospital.

“Luckily the incident was not serious, though we had the staff ready to care for a large amount of patients if that had been necessary,” Mehigan said in an email. Several police, fire, and EMS vehicles were parked outside the building shortly before 4 p.m. and fire personnel were seen coming and going from the structure.

The 10-story building at 149 13th St. houses the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging.