Failure to Post No Smoking Sign During Oxygen Use
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to follow its policy regarding fire safety and prevention by not posting a No Smoking sign outside the room of a resident who was receiving oxygen therapy. The resident, who had a diagnosis of asthma and required varying levels of assistance with daily activities, was observed using oxygen at 2 liters per minute via nasal cannula. Despite the use of oxygen, which is a known fire hazard, there was no No Smoking sign posted outside the resident's room as required by the facility's policy. Interviews with nursing staff confirmed that a No Smoking sign should have been visibly placed at the resident's door whenever oxygen was in use, in accordance with the facility's Fire Safety and Prevention policy. The policy, last revised in May 2011, specifically states that visible No Smoking signs must be used where oxygen is stored and administered. The absence of the required signage was directly observed and acknowledged by staff, constituting a failure to implement established safety protocols.