Medicines and other health commodities are usually stored in cold rooms or temperature-controlled rooms for preservation purposes. Here are some tips on keeping and organising medicines inside cold rooms:
Conduct a pre-delivery inspection and planning
Inspect the storage facility first before placing the medicines and other health products inside. Make sure that the shelves or cabinets are clean and can store the number of products that will be delivered. The storage condition should also be observed. There should be a plan for the systematic unloading of the health products to make sure that they are stacked according to their labels.
Have a routine cleaning schedule
A fixed cleaning schedule can help to maintain the storage facility. This can help to protect the purity of the medicine for the safety of those who will ingest them in the future. Cleanliness can also help to prevent injuries to cold storage personnel.
Regular inspection of the products and storage facility
Products should be inspected regularly. The facility should also be checked for roof leaks or mechanical problems in the refrigeration system.
Consider the labels on the medical products
Medical products usually have labels that detail the manufacturing and expiry date. Labels usually include the required storage temperature. All medical items should be stacked according to their labels. It will make it easier if the products with the same temperature requirements are stored in the same room. This will make it easier to regulate the room temperature.
There should be a monitor for storage conditions
Facilities usually have different personnel who take turns to monitor the storage room. A monitoring sheet will help to determine the culprit should a problem arise in the cold storage facilities.
Strict regulation on unauthorised personnel is a must
Allowing unauthorised personnel into the facility could jeopardise the whole storage operation. Unauthorised personnel might not be familiar with the workings of a cold. This could lead to mistakes that might have an immediate effect on the medical products. There should only be certain personnel with access to the facility and they should have been trained to operate the facility.
Schedule long-term medical storage tasks
It is recommended that you conduct an inventory of medicines or health commodities at least once every three months. This will help to identify expiry dates or damaged goods for disposal.
1Cold Ltd provides cold room construction services which include design and project management. Please call us on 01564 702 269 or e-mail us at info@1cold.com to learn more.
