The Australian Standard 'Medical Refrigeration Equipment - For the Storage of Blood and Blood products' specifies the requirements for refrigerators and freezers used for the storage of blood and blood products. The standard comes in two parts:
Part 1: Manufacturing requirements (AS3864.1) describes the requirements for manufacturers of medical refrigeration equipment used for storing blood components.
Part 2: User-related requirements for care, maintenance, performance verification and calibration (AS3864.2) outlines the requirements for the care, maintenance, performance verification and calibration of refrigeration equipment used for storing blood components.
Hospital or laboratory staff can perform the maintenance, however, there are several companies in each State who can maintain fridges and freezers under contract.
When selecting an external contractor, make sure they understand and follow the requirements of part 1 and/or part 2 of the standard.
Records
Refrigerator, freezer, cold room and platelet incubator records, must be kept for the life of the equipment plus three years.
The BloodSafe Blood Fridge Maintenance Record can be used to record temperature and all maintenance activities performed on blood fridges.
Further information
Related topics
