It seems that the practises on refridgeration vary with national borders. In the UK the Food Standards Agency recommend the public to refridgerate from what I can see (food prep industry is similarly advised) in contrast to ehs post see.
www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/eggsandpulses/eggs/"Storing eggs safely
Here are some tips to help you store your eggs safely:
•Do store eggs in a cool, dry place, ideally in the fridge.
•Do store eggs away from other foods. It's a good idea to use your fridge's egg tray, if you have one, because this helps to keep eggs separate.
•Do eat dishes containing eggs as soon as possible after you've prepared them, but if you're not planning to eat them straight away, cool them quickly and then keep them in the fridge.
•Don't use eggs after their 'best before' date for the safest choice.
•Don't use eggs with damaged shells, because dirt or bacteria might have got inside them
In the US eggs for sale in food stores are required to carry a notice to store them refridgerated. See
www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm077342.htm"Buy eggs only if sold from a refrigerator or refrigerated case.‡
Open the carton and make sure that the eggs are clean and the shells are not cracked.
Refrigerate promptly.
Store eggs in their original carton and use them within 3 weeks for best quality."
I've never heard about the membrane being damaged by cooling and it seems rather impractical to store at 20C for 2 weeks before refridgeration so do you have any references for this ehs? If the membrane forms the main protection it would seem that the recommendation not to wash the shell is not so critical??
Obviously it's not a good idea to put contaminated eggs in the fridge uncontained so you would need to put in a poly bag or sealed tupperware or similar container.
Regards