As mentioned in the last post, this one is obvious, but more often than not, it is really obvious in hindsight. The way it comes about is quite simple and this is fairly common…
- Someone buys a vaccine fridge and is all happy and excited about their new purchase. They turn it on, let it cool down, load it with stock, and show it off for the first couple of days. Eventually, it just becomes “the vaccine fridge”
- At the same time, there was that box in it with a temperature logger in it. It was left on the table and eventually placed in a drawer and forgotten
- A year (or two) later, there was a power failure over the weekend, and the fridge was reported to reach a temperature of 24°.
- The first question they are asked is “Do you have a temperature logger?” and they contact us to find out how to get the results
The consequences
The problem is quite simple – the unit is not in place and has no idea what is happening. And here is an almost straight copy from Common temperature logger mistakes 1:
This problem tends to lead to some awkward follow-on questions like
- “How do I retrieve the readings then?” (You can’t)
- “So how can I get the results?” (You can’t)
- “Is there anything I can do to get the results?” (No)
The solution
Set it up and put it in the fridge.
The grand finale
The next common mistake is the grand finale which is still in the bleeding obvious category.