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Vaccine Fridge: Downloading Temperature Log

How Often Should I Download the Temperature Log for a Vaccine Fridge?

This is a question we are asked quite often. The following answer is my personal opinion. You may have company policies or additional rules that will impact on what I say.

If you have a vaccine fridge (i.e. a purpose built vaccine fridge) then keep the following in mind:

  1. The vaccine fridge displays the temperature and staff should be trained to periodically check it. In theory this is not necessary but I like it because it reinforces the idea that temperature is very important to all the staff. This should then reduce other issues like leaving the door open too long or leaving stock out of the fridge.
  2. The vaccine fridge has a built in alarm that will warn you if there is a problem. The vaccine fridge itself is your best method of ensuring the vaccines are safe. Loggers are designed to confirm that the vaccine fridge is correctly controlling the temperature. So you have already significantly improved the monitoring of your stock with a vaccine fridge.
  3. If the fridge goes into alarm (especially for an unknown or extended period of time) then download the results immediately to find out what happened.
  4. If using a Logtag and you have the alarm limit set to 2° and it is flashing red, download the results immediately.
  5. Other wise…

…my opinion is probably once a month. This saves you time but gives you a complete idea as to what is going on. Ensure the sample rate is set to give you this coverage (15 minutes sample rate or slower for TCS, 5 minute sample rate for Logtag). These sample rates also allow you to be slightly late if you are sick or on holidays.

Many companies retrieve the results fortnightly. It gives peace of mind and that’s good. The other benefit is if anything does go wrong with the logging (e.g. we have a number of support calls where the logger was stopped and not restarted) then only a maximum of 2 weeks data is lost.

Some companies do it weekly. My personal opinion is that this is overkill because you have invested in a vaccine fridge and you can let it do its job.

BUT IF YOU DON’T OWN A VACCINE FRIDGE…
Then you won’t be notified when something goes wrong. So my recommendations are:

  1. Buy a Logtag. You need either the alarm LED feature (in the entry level model) or the temperature display.
  2. Have your staff regularly check the Logtag to make sure the alarm LED is not on or the temperature is within range.
  3. Download the results weekly or fortnightly.

It’s a lot more work, and you need to assume that the fridge is likely to fail and you need to be watching for it.

What is covered with our shipping insurance?

Our normal terms and conditions (like most businesses) is that you take possession the moment an order ships. If the order is lost or damaged in transit then, in theory, it’s your problem. In reality we will have a conversation and try to work out a good way to resolve the issue where we are both happy (or not too upset).

Shipping insurance is there to remove the drama. If an order is lost or damaged in transit, we will simply send out a replacement, and we will then deal with the courier directly to resolve the original problem.

Our shipping insurance also means that if an order is delayed beyond what is normal and reasonable then we will send you another shipment (stock levels permitting). Then you should receive one of them sooner, and when the second one arrives you simply Return To Sender.

How much is shipping insurance?

Shipping insurance is 5% of the cost of the goods.

Is it worth it? Practically we have had far less than 5% of shipments have problems. It is, however, what Australia Post and other couriers charge. Ultimately insurance is about peace of mind and less hassle when something does go wrong.

Shipping insurance as an option

Shipping insurance is offered as an option on all our web sites. You can select it at the checkout.

For large orders our staff may also ask if you would like shipping insurance.

If you would like shipping insurance on an order you are placing with us, just ask.

Mandatory shipping insurance

Unfortunately we have had a couple of large orders not make it and then the customer refused to pay. A friend suggested that the easy way to avoid the dispute is to insure any shipments where we have a significant risk.

If you would like an immediate line of credit (30 days to pay) and have the goods ship immediately (no credit check delays) and are purchasing over $500 then we will add shipping insurance to your order.

The shipping insurance can be waived if the order is between $500 and $2,000 and you provide us with a formal confirmation that you accept responsibility of the goods once they ship.

Alternatively you can prepay by direct deposit or credit card.

What is not covered?

If there is a clear proof of delivery to the shipping address provided then we class that as delivered. Unfortunately there are cases where it is lost somewhere between the loading dock or receptionist and ending up in your hands. But we also know that a photo of the bag against a generic grey background is not proof of delivery, it is just proof of existence! It needs to be a reasonable proof of delivery.

It also doesn’t cover the expectation of overnight delivery. For example, if we were to ship to Melbourne (we are in Sydney) then we would expect it to be delivered within about 3 days. Most of the time it is overnight, but there are enough floods and other issues that regularly cause minor delays. Sending a second order the next day tends to not fix the problem. If it is super urgent, talk to us about how we can minimise the risk.

For damage claims we ask that you contact us immediately and we will probably ask for photos or some proof. The shipping insurance doesn’t cover claims weeks later. We do have warranty covering our items, but it excludes physical damage (e.g. being dropped). If the goods are damaged in transit then please let us know ASAP so we can cover it under the shipping insurance.