About this course
Temperature-sensitive goods such as vaccines, medicines, blood products, dairy, meat and fresh produce lose value or become unsafe when the cold chain breaks. Delegates work through cold room and freezer management, temperature mapping, data loggers and alarms, insulated packaging, refrigerated transport, last-mile delivery and the handling of temperature excursions. The course closes with record-keeping, audits and a practical plan for tightening controls across storage and distribution.
Why this course
A single unnoticed temperature excursion can destroy a vaccine consignment or a warehouse of perishable stock, and the loss is often discovered only when the product reaches the patient or customer. Long distances, unreliable power and hot climates make cold chain control harder across much of Africa. Trained staff reduce write-offs, protect public health and meet the storage conditions set by regulators and manufacturers.
What delegates will be able to do
By the end of the course, delegates will be able to
- Set up temperature monitoring for cold rooms, freezers and refrigerated vehicles using data loggers and alarms
- Plan temperature mapping of a storage area and interpret the results
- Select insulated packaging and coolants for a given route, product and transit time
- Respond to a temperature excursion, including quarantine, investigation and documentation
- Prepare a cold chain risk register covering power failure, vehicle breakdown and handling errors
Who should attend
Pharmacists, depot and warehouse supervisors, logistics officers, immunisation programme coordinators, food and agricultural distribution staff, and quality officers who handle temperature-sensitive products. No prior cold chain training is assumed.
How it is delivered
Facilitator-led sessions with case studies of cold chain failures, exercises reading data logger reports and group work building an excursion response procedure. It is available as a public course, in-house at your premises, or as live virtual sessions. Duration and dates are confirmed in your quote, and in-house groups can have the examples and exercises fitted to their organisation.