Failure to Maintain Lint Trap in Residents' Personal Dryer Creates Fire Hazard
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the lint compartment and filter of the dryer used for residents' personal laundry were emptied, resulting in a significant buildup of lint. During a tour of the laundry area, surveyors observed a large accumulation of lint in the lint trap/screen compartment of the residents' personal use dryer. The Housekeeping/Laundry Director confirmed that there was no log sheet or established procedure for cleaning the lint trap/screen for this dryer, and stated uncertainty about who checks it when not present. The Housekeeper/Laundry Aide also reported that laundry aides do not check or log the lint trap/screen for the residents' personal dryer, only for the main dryers, and had never checked it during their shifts. Facility policy requires that all dryer lint screens be cleaned by laundry staff after every two loads and documented on a daily cleaning form. Job descriptions for both the Laundry Aide and Director of Housekeeping specify responsibilities for safe equipment use and adherence to facility policies and procedures. Despite these requirements, the lack of a cleaning schedule, documentation, and staff awareness regarding the residents' personal dryer led to the deficiency, creating an unsafe environment and a fire hazard with the potential to affect all 150 residents.