Failure to Provide Supervision in Smoking Area
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide an environment free from accident hazards by not ensuring adequate supervision in the designated smoking area. Facility policy requires that residents who smoke must sign a safe smoking agreement, smoke only in designated locations, and, if requiring supervision, only smoke at designated times with staff present. Review of care plans for several residents indicated interventions such as education on smoking risks, storage of smoking items at the nurse's station, provision of supervision during smoking, and use of a smoking apron. Despite these policies and care plan interventions, observations on two separate occasions revealed multiple residents smoking outside in the designated area without any staff present to supervise the activity. Interviews with staff and residents confirmed the lack of supervision, with one staff member stating that some employees preferred to watch from the window rather than be physically present outside, and a resident indicating that staff are never outside during smoking times. The facility's documented smoking list and care plans specifically required supervision for certain residents, but this was not provided as observed. This lack of supervision in the smoking area constitutes a failure to follow facility policy and ensure resident safety as required by federal and state regulations.