Clause 4.15.1 Covered loading bays

Our goods in and goods out loading doors open to the outside and fork lifts put pallets on and off lorries. All products are in sealed containers like drums, pails and jerry cans. Usually there is protective wrap to hold them on the pallet and they go all over the place via various warehouses and transport routes.

Regarding this clause, we have no "covered bays" for vehicle loading or unloading but what is meant by including such requirements "as appropriate"?

As we are not loading sensitive things like meat or sandwiches into temperature controlled transport, I do not see the point in hassling the management to spend £10,000 a pop to get some sort of awnings built outside our doors for no apparent benefit. But will the same argument seem reasonable to an auditor...?

We have it on our dispatch but not our intake. I would take any section where it says "as appropriate" in the BRC standard to mean "risk assess and record your thoughts / results". So, as you've said here basically you perceive no risks to not having covered bays, product flows through quickly presumably so isn't stood in those areas.

I think it would be a very harsh auditor who insisted upon it, particularly if the product is taken directly in and out.