Improper Use of Device to Hold Open Corridor Door
Summary
During a Life Safety Code recertification survey, it was observed that a corridor door leading to the dining room was improperly held open using a hand sanitizer portable stand. This action was not in compliance with the NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, which requires that doors not be held open by devices other than those that release when the door is pushed or pulled. The Director of Environmental Services acknowledged the finding at the time of observation. The deficiency was noted as the facility failed to ensure that corridor doors were provided with suitable means to keep the door open in accordance with the specified safety code.
Plan Of Correction
Plan of Correction: Approved January 28, 2025 I. Plan of Correction for Affected Residents: The facility respectively states that no Residents were affected by this deficient practice. 2) On 12/27/2024, The Director of Maintenance removed the portable hand sanitizer stand that was preventing the (NAME) dining room door from closing. 3) On 01/14/2025, The Director of Maintenance contacted the Fire Alarm contractor to provide a proposal to install magnetic hold open devices that are connected to the fire alarm system that will release when the fire alarm is activated. That proposal was received on 01/17/2025 and has been approved. The magnetic hold open devices will be installed by 02/28/2025. II. Plan of Correction to identify other Residents Potentially Affected: All residents have the potential to be affected by this deficient practice. On 01/14/2025, The Director of Maintenance inspected all corridors doors and no other areas of noncompliance were noted. III. Plan of Correction for Systems Changes and Measures to Prevent Recurrence: A) On 01/14/2025, The Director of Maintenance in conjunction with maintenance staff reviewed the requirements for K363 to understand and implement the corrective actions. B) Environment rounds will be done for all corridor doors to ensure that they resist the passage of smoke. C) Findings of rounds will be recorded in an audit tool located in the maintenance log book. IV. Plan of Correction for Monitoring Corrective Actions: A) The Director of Maintenance/designee created an audit tool and will conduct quarterly audits of the corridor doors for 12 months to ensure compliance with 2012 NFPA 101: 7.10.2, 7.10.2.1, 10 NYCRR: 711.2 (a). B) The Director of Maintenance/designee will report findings of the audit to Administrator. C) Any negative findings from these audits will be immediately addressed by the Director of Maintenance and Administrator. The findings of these audits will be discussed at the quarterly QAPI meetings to discuss any unfavorable trends and patterns that may prevent achieving 100% compliance. I. Responsible Discipline: The Director of Maintenance is responsible to ensure that all components of the plan of correction have been implemented and that compliance has been achieved. Date of Completion: 02/28/2025
Penalty
Surveyors found that a corridor door to a resident room on one floor failed to latch into the frame when tested, meaning it did not meet NFPA 101 requirements for positive latching of corridor doors. The Facilities Manager and Facility Life Safety staff confirmed during interview that this corridor door did not latch properly.
Surveyors identified several corridor door deficiencies, including doors that failed to latch, lacked smoke tight integrity, and had missing locksets, across multiple floors. These issues were confirmed by facility leadership during the exit conference.
Surveyors found that two corridor doors, one on the third floor and one on the second floor, did not latch when tested, affecting two smoke compartments. The Facility Administrator and Maintenance Director confirmed these deficiencies, which were not in compliance with fire and smoke protection requirements.
A corridor door leading to the Patio Lounge failed to positively latch within the door frame, as observed and confirmed by the Director of Maintenance. This deficiency affected one of twelve smoke compartments and did not meet NFPA 101 and CMS requirements for corridor door latching.
Surveyors found that corridor doors to two resident rooms did not close and latch properly, as confirmed by the facility's Administrator and Maintenance Director. This deficiency affected one of five smoke compartments and did not meet regulatory requirements for smoke resistance and positive latching.
Surveyors found that two resident rooms had wooden door wedges holding corridor doors open, preventing them from closing as required for fire safety. Facility staff confirmed that the wedges impeded proper door closure.
Failure of Corridor Door to Latch Properly
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency involving a corridor door that did not meet NFPA 101 requirements for positive latching. During observation on the second floor B-Hall, the door to Resident Room 209 was tested and found to fail to latch into the door frame. This condition was noted as a failure to maintain a corridor opening in accordance with the requirement that corridor doors resist the passage of smoke and have positive latching hardware. The issue was observed on one of four floors in the building and specifically involved the corridor door to a resident room. At the time of the survey, the door did not properly engage with the frame when tested, meaning it did not latch as required. During the exit interview, the Facilities Manager and Facility Life Safety staff confirmed that the corridor door to Resident Room 209 failed to latch.
Plan Of Correction
Room 209 door was immediately adjusted to insure proper closure. Resident room doors were inspected and adjusted. Random audits of resident room door closure will be conducted on 5 doors on each nursing unit weekly for 8 weeks. Corridor doors will be inspected semi-annually for proper closure. Any doors found to be not closing properly are adjusted or replaced.
Multiple Corridor Door Deficiencies Impacting Smoke and Fire Protection
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple deficiencies related to corridor doors on three of four floors within the facility. Specifically, one door on the 3rd floor (Room 315) failed to latch properly in its frame. On the 2nd floor, Room 220's door did not maintain smoke tight integrity even when latched, and the Clean Utility door near the Nurses' Station had an open hole where the lockset was removed. On the 1st floor, doors to Rooms 128 and 107 also lacked smoke tight integrity while latched in their frames. These deficiencies were confirmed during an exit conference with facility leadership, including the Administrator, Regional Director, Regional Maintenance Director, and Environmental Services Director. The report does not mention any specific residents or their medical conditions in relation to these deficiencies.
Plan Of Correction
The facility failed to maintain corridor doors on three of four floors. No residents were affected. All residents have the potential to be affected. The corridor door on the 3rd floor, Room 315 was repaired to meet the regulation and latch in the corresponding frame. The corridor door on the 2nd floor, Room 220 was repaired to ensure smoke tight integrity. The 2nd floor, the hole noted in the clean utility door near the nurses' station was repaired. The corridor door on the 1st floor, Room 128 was repaired to ensure smoke tight integrity. The corridor door on the 1st floor, Room 107 was repaired to ensure smoke tight integrity. An audit of the facility's remaining resident corridor doors was completed by the Director of Maintenance to ensure that all doors meet the requirement. Director of Maintenance and maintenance staff were educated by the Administrator on maintaining corridor doors to meet the requirement of smoke tight integrity and latch properly. The Maintenance Director/Designee will conduct one weekly audit of corridor doors to check function and integrity for four weeks. The audits will continue monthly thereafter. Results of audits will be reviewed at the Quarterly Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee Meeting over the duration of the audit process. Based on the results of the audits, a decision will be made regarding the need for continued submission and reporting.
Failure to Maintain Properly Latching Corridor Doors
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to maintain corridor doors in accordance with NFPA 101 and CMS regulations. Specifically, during an inspection on July 30, 2025, it was found that the door to Room 300 on the third floor and the door to Room 222 on the second floor did not latch when tested. These deficiencies were identified in two of the seven smoke compartments within the facility. The observations were confirmed through interviews with the Facility Administrator and Maintenance Director, who acknowledged the issues with the corridor doors. The report does not mention any specific residents affected or provide details about their medical history or condition at the time of the deficiency. The deficiency is limited to the failure of the doors to latch properly, as required for fire and smoke protection.
Plan Of Correction
On July 30, 2025, the Maintenance Director adjusted the Room 300 door and the Room 222 door and ensured the doors latched. The Nursing Home Administrator re-educated the Maintenance Director and maintenance assistant on the need to ensure all corridor doors latch properly. The maintenance staff will conduct a whole house audit to ensure all corridor doors in all smoke compartments latch properly. All corridor doors will be checked weekly during Interdisciplinary Team room rounds, and work orders will be submitted for any doors not latching properly. Room rounds reports are reviewed during morning meetings and submitted to the Safety Committee as appropriate for review.
Failure to Maintain Positive Latching of Corridor Door
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain the positive latching of a corridor door, specifically the Zone 8 door to the Patio Lounge. During an observation, it was found that this door did not positively latch within the door frame as required by NFPA 101 and CMS regulations. The deficiency was identified during a survey, and the issue was confirmed through an interview with the Director of Maintenance, who acknowledged that the corridor door failed to latch properly. This deficiency affected one of twelve smoke compartments within the facility. The report does not mention any specific residents or patients involved, nor does it provide details about their medical history or condition at the time of the deficiency. The focus of the finding is solely on the failure of the door to meet the required positive latching standard, as observed and confirmed by facility staff.
Plan Of Correction
The Zone 8 patio lounge door has been adjusted to latch positively. Maintenance staff will be educated on ensuring all doors latch positively moving forward. Maintenance Director/Designee to perform an audit on doors latching positively weekly for 4 weeks and monthly for 2 months to ensure doors in the facility are latching properly. Results of audits will be forwarded to the QAPI Committee. The Zone 8 patio lounge door has been adjusted to latch positively. Maintenance staff will be educated on ensuring all doors latch positively moving forward. Maintenance Director/Designee to perform an audit on doors latching positively weekly for 4 weeks and monthly for 2 months to ensure doors in the facility are latching properly. Results of audits will be forwarded to the QAPI Committee.
Failure to Maintain Corridor Doors for Smoke Resistance and Latching
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to maintain corridor doors in accordance with NFPA 101 requirements in two separate instances. During inspections, it was found that the door to resident room 140 and the door to resident room 109 would not close and latch properly in their frames when tested. These deficiencies were identified during routine observations on July 7, 2025, at different times in the morning. Interviews conducted with the Facility Administrator and the Maintenance Director confirmed the issues with the corridor doors. The deficiencies affected one of five smoke compartments in the facility, as the doors did not meet the required standards for resisting the passage of smoke and ensuring positive latching, as specified by regulatory guidelines.
Plan Of Correction
Resident room 140 door now closes and latches in its frame when tested, maintaining corridor doors and all five smoke compartments within the facility. The Maintenance Director/designee will ensure corridor doors close and latch into their frames monthly times three months. Findings will be reviewed at monthly Quality Assurance Meetings. Resident room 109 door now closes and latches in its frame when tested, maintaining corridor doors and all five smoke compartments within the facility. The Maintenance Director/designee will ensure corridor doors close and latch into their frames monthly times three months. Findings will be reviewed at monthly Quality Assurance Meetings.
Corridor Doors Blocked Open with Wedges
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to maintain corridor doors in accordance with fire safety regulations on two of four levels. Specifically, during an inspection, it was found that a resident room on the fourth floor and another on the second floor each had a wooden door wedge holding the door open. These wedges prevented the doors from closing as required to resist the passage of smoke and maintain corridor safety. The Maintenance Supervisor and Director of Safety/Security confirmed during an exit interview that the use of door wedges inhibited the proper closing of the doors. The deficiency was identified through direct observation and staff confirmation, with no mention of any specific resident conditions or medical histories related to the incident.
Plan Of Correction
Door stops have been removed from doors. All other rooms checked for door stops and none noted. Staff will be educated to not use door stops. Residents and families will be educated upon admission that door stops cannot be used, and current residents will be educated regarding door stops at the next resident council meeting. The resident welcome book has been updated to include education regarding door stops and will be distributed to all residents upon admission and to all current residents.
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