What requirements apply to lifts and handling routes if a pharmaceutical warehouse is located on an upper floor of a multi-storey building?

When a medicine warehouse is located on a floor above or below ground level, requirements for vertical transport and handling routes are critical. First, there must be a dedicated or sufficiently large freight lift, with dimensions and load capacity that can readily accommodate standard handling equipment such as pallets and roll cages. Passenger lifts must not be used to transport bulk medicines. Second, the routes from the loading bay to the lift, and from the lift to the warehouse entrance, must be unobstructed, level and clear, with sufficient width for handling equipment to pass and turn easily. The floor surfaces along these routes should also be durable and hard-wearing. Emergency arrangements must also be considered—for example, whether there is an alternative plan or procedure for urgent medicine transport if the lift breaks down. Although this may be difficult in practice, having a plan is better than having none.