Laboratory Fridge / Freezer Inventory - Requirement(s)

[iso_is_fun!]

Hi, Working in a laboratory - is there an absolute requirement for every fridge and freezer to have a detailed inventory of everything going in and out. We seem to be tying ourselves up in knots trying to keep to this and I'm going back to the standard, and now wondering what part of it are we actually fulfilling by having this?
Is it actually a requirement?

 

[Ninja]

Howdy,

I think the answer to your question is "show me the "shall" ".
Where did the idea come from that you had to keep track of any inventory at all?...let alone a detailed inventory.

Assuming ISO9001 from the forum you posted in...the requirement is that your company decide what it considers necessary...then do it.
The standard itself does not specifically require that you track inventory in any particular fashion.
about the closest you're going to come is 8.2.2 or 8.2.3...both of which start with you deciding what is needed in terms of inventory (those considered necessary by the organization).

Note that, depending on what chemicals are involved, OSHA and NFPA may have requirements that are pertinent...though neither of them will require tracking of all ins and outs.

 

[Johnnymo62]

How do you know if samples were exposed to the low temperature for the right amount of time?

 

[Ninja]

How do you know if samples were exposed to the low temperature for the right amount of time?

Good question, but please note that ISO does not require you to have an answer to that either...
Logic might require it.
Good business practice or lab practice might.
...and it might be why your own company regulations exist...
...but ISO does not require it.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

Is it actually a requirement?

Apparently it is. The question is: who created the requirement and why? There is no question that some organizations overkill their own bureaucracy when developing their own internal procedures. But, there is also a possibility that what looks to be excessively burdensome requirements, from your perspective, have a good justification to exist.

So....seek the source of the requirement and try to understand why it is in place. If there are no good reasons for such "tight control", suggest an improvement to drop the log and explain why keeping up the log "religiously" is creating unnecessary bureaucracy. Knowledge is power.

 

[Ajit Basrur]

Hi, Working in a laboratory - is there an absolute requirement for every fridge and freezer to have a detailed inventory of everything going in and out. We seem to be tying ourselves up in knots trying to keep to this and I'm going back to the standard, and now wondering what part of it are we actually fulfilling by having this?
Is it actually a requirement?

Need more background information on what type of samples are stored in the refrigerator.

 

[Kronos147]

Need more background information on what type of samples are stored in the refrigerator.

Alien artifacts. The company works in Area 51.