Yeah, the borrowed multimeter really hammers how silly this all was. You don't touch other peoples lab equipment unless the other ends of the wires are hanging

Yeah, the borrowed multimeter really hammers how silly this all was. You don't touch other peoples lab equipment unless the other ends of the wires are hanging free. A finger pointing to a meter needs to be followed up with a clear confirmation that the wires can be disconnected, and special care isn't needed in the process. If I need something that's connected, I always ask the person to disconnect it for me. Definitely a process/culture problem.