Signs warning staff to not unplug the refrigerator are available from the Immunization Division, Literature and Forms Section. It is important that vaccines be kept at the proper temperature at all times. Frequently opening the door interrupts the cold chain and can result in a cumulative loss of vaccine potency over time. Storing food, sodas, or patient specimens in the same refrigerator should be avoided. No refrigerator is perfect and accidents will happen.
Plugs get disconnected, power outages occur, and equipment can fail.
So it is a good idea to take a few extra precautions to ensure the quality and effectiveness of your vaccines, not to mention the financial investment. Storing extra ice packs along the walls, back, and in the door racks of the freezer compartment helps keep a steady temperature during automatic defrosting cycles. It also provides additional reserves of cold in the event of a power failure. Storing a couple of large water bottles against the inside walls or in door racks of the refrigerator, helps maintain a stable temperature and again, provides extra reserves of cold in the event of a power failure. Never store vaccines in the doors because the temperatures are not as stable as in the body of the refrigerator or freezer.