Failure to Maintain Electrical Equipment Safety
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that electrical equipment was maintained in accordance with National Fire Protection Association 99 standards. During the Life Safety Code recertification survey, it was observed that one non-patient care related electrical equipment and two patient care related electrical equipment lacked proper electrical inspection labels. Specifically, an electric tree in resident room B6, a curling iron in the beauty salon, and a hair dryer in the C-Unit shower room were found without current inspection labels. The facility's policy required all electrical equipment to be inspected and maintained to ensure resident safety, with annual preventative maintenance based on initial assessment and manufacturer's guidelines. The Maintenance Director confirmed that all electrical equipment should have been inspected by the maintenance department before being used in resident areas. However, the equipment was not currently tracked, and there was no documentation of inspections for the beauty salon curling iron and the C-Unit shower room hair dryer for 2023 or 2024. The Maintenance Director acknowledged the importance of maintaining electrical equipment for the safety of residents and staff, but the lack of inspection labels indicated a failure to adhere to the facility's Electrical Equipment Safety Checks policy.
Plan Of Correction
Plan of Correction: Approved March 5, 2025 Small electric tree was removed, and both the curling iron and hair dryer were inspected. A revised quarterly inspection tracking sheet was implemented and a memo for staff to help the maintenance staff identify any new electrical equipment brought into the facility. All Maintenance Staff were educated on the importance of inspecting all electrical equipment within the building. The Director of Environmental Services will monitor compliance with an Electrical Device Audit quarterly, with a 100% threshold, compliance with an audit, with a 100% threshold, and report the results to the Quality Assurance Committee quarterly.