The practical answer
Put the lot on hold, record what arrived and exactly what the temperature data covers, and leave the decision to a named reviewer. The WHO model guidance quarantines goods with missing paperwork or unacceptable excursions, evaluates every unacceptable excursion, and keeps them out of usable stock until disposition is complete. A cold pack or a normal-looking vial does not reconstruct transit history.
Evidence, method & source dates ↓The short answer
Do three things the day the package arrives: write down the arrival checks, preserve the original temperature data with its coverage window, and mark the lot 'hold' until someone accountable signs a disposition. Do not decide from appearance, and do not fill a data gap with an assumption in either direction.
The structure comes from WHO's 2011 model guidance for time- and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products. It is written for pharmaceutical supply chains, not research reagents, and it sets no temperature limit for any peptide. We use it because its receiving and recordkeeping steps are a clear, public template. The temperature range that applies to your material has to come from the supplier's documentation for that product. [1]
Arrival checklist adapted from WHO section 8.2.1
WHO lists the checks to record for every incoming temperature-sensitive item. The right column translates each into a research-lot receiving record. [1]
| WHO arrival check | What to record for a research lot |
|---|---|
| Product name, identifier and batch/lot number | Catalog number and lot exactly as printed on the container, plus the lot on the certificate |
| Quantity received against order | Units received vs purchase order line |
| Name and address of supplying site | Ship-from site on the packing slip |
| Containers examined for tampering, damage or contamination | Photo reference and a plain description; no conclusions |
| Expiry dates | Expiry or retest date on label and certificate |
| Delays encountered in transport | Carrier tracking events with time zone |
| Status of temperature recording devices or indicators | Logger ID, start and end time, alarm state, indicator state |
| Required storage and transport conditions maintained | Supplier's documented range and revision, and whether data covers the full trip |
Observation versus what it can prove
Receiving staff often write conclusions where observations belong. Keep them apart.
| Observation | Can show | Cannot show |
|---|---|---|
| Box intact, cold pack still cold | Condition at the moment of opening | Temperatures during transit |
| Vial looks normal | No visible damage | Stability, identity or content |
| Logger file within range until 12:00, received 14:00 | In-range readings for the covered period | Anything about 12:00 to 14:00 |
| One reading above the supplier's range | An excursion occurred | Exact duration, unless sampling interval is tight and continuous |
| Supplier email: 'usually ships fine' | General supplier opinion | An assessment of this event |
What triggers a hold
WHO section 8.2.2 says to quarantine products that are defective or potentially defective, have incomplete or missing paperwork, experienced unacceptable temperature excursions in transport, or are suspected counterfeit, and not to release them until checks are completed. It also says all unacceptable excursions should be evaluated for their effect on the product, and that goods should not move to usable stock until disposition procedures are complete. [1]
- Hold: logger data has a gap, shows an excursion, or the logger is missing.
- Hold: certificate lot does not match the container, or paperwork is missing.
- Hold: damage, tampering signs, or an unexpected supplier site.
- Proceed to normal receiving review: complete paperwork, matching lot, data covers the full trip within the supplier's documented range.
Worked example: describing a two-hour gap
An invented package arrives at 14:00 UTC. The logger export ends at 12:00 UTC with readings inside the supplier's documented transport range. The correct record is 'monitoring coverage incomplete 12:00 to 14:00 UTC; readings in range for covered period'. 'Shipment stayed in range' would be an inference the data does not support, and 'shipment failed' would be equally unsupported.
Send the supplier one specific question: 'For lot [X], shipment [Y], logger data ends two hours before receipt. Do you have data or an assessment covering 12:00 to 14:00 UTC, and on what stability evidence is it based?' Log the reply verbatim with its date. A generic reassurance gets filed as a reply, not as event-specific evidence.
Record the disposition without rewriting history
The disposition entry names the reviewer, the date, the evidence reviewed and the outcome: release, reject, return, or release with restrictions. The arrival observation stays exactly as written. WHO also recommends that traceability records for incoming goods include indicator status, physical condition and time of receipt, and that discrepancies be monitored, recorded and investigated. [1]
Who this fits: anyone receiving cold-chain research materials who needs a defensible file. Who can skip it: shipments with no temperature requirement on the supplier's documentation. This is documentary research based on the WHO model accessed October 29, 2026. No shipment was tested, and no reconstitution, dosing, salvage or use guidance is provided; a complete record does not establish identity, potency or suitability for any use.
Check the underlying evidence
Sources & review dates
- WHO Technical Report Series 961, Annex 9 (2011): Model guidance for the storage and transport of time- and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products, sections 8.2 and 8.4 ↗Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- NIST: Metrological Traceability, Frequently Asked Questions and Policy ↗Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources are documentary evidence. They do not establish firsthand testing of a listed supplier.