Storage Rack

A hospital storage rack, also used as a medicine rack in pharmacies and wards, is an open shelving unit for medicines, consumables, linen, files and equipment. Unlike a closed cabinet, a rack shows everything at a glance, so staff can find stock quickly, see when it is running low and check expiry dates without opening doors. Hospitals use racks in central stores and pharmacies, and in examination rooms, treatment rooms, wards and patient rooms wherever supplies are kept close to where they are used.

How stock sits on the rack matters. Medicines-storage guidance from the WHO and the EU's Good Distribution Practice guidelines recommends rotating stock on the first-expiry, first-out (FEFO) principle, so the items that expire soonest are used first. Open racks make this easier: new stock goes to the back, older stock moves to the front, and everything is labelled by shelf. Keeping the bottom shelf off the floor protects stock from mopping water and lets the floor underneath be cleaned.

Like other hospital furniture, racks are cleaned often. Health building guidance such as the NHS HBN 00-09 asks for fittings with smooth surfaces that stand up to repeated cleaning and disinfection and do not hold dirt in seams and corners. Shelves with folded edges and no sharp corners are easier to wipe, and safer to work around.

Choosing between the two materials comes down to how the rack is cleaned. Stainless steel has no coating to chip or scratch, so it stands up best to daily disinfection and wet cleaning; SS 316 resists chlorides and stronger disinfectants better than SS 304. Powder-coated mild steel is strong and costs less, and is a good choice where the rack is wiped down rather than washed. If a coating is chipped, touch it up so the steel underneath does not rust.

Our hospital storage racks are made in SS 304 or SS 316 stainless steel, or in powder-coated high-grade mild steel. They are sturdy, durable and easy to maintain. Besides our standard designs and models, we make racks to your dimensions, size, shape, design and features.