Failure to Ensure Laundry Staff Compliance with Dryer Lint Cleaning Documentation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain an effective infection control training program for laundry staff, specifically regarding the routine cleaning of dryer lint. Record review showed that the laundry lint cleaning log was left blank for several hours on multiple days, indicating that staff did not document or possibly did not perform the required cleaning during those times. The housekeeping supervisor confirmed the gaps in documentation and stated that the log served as proof of lint cleaning. The infection preventionist stated that laundry staff were required to check and document lint cleaning every hour. The facility's policy required lint traps to be cleaned after each load and for staff to document this action, but the logs did not reflect compliance with this policy on several occasions. No specific residents or their medical histories were mentioned in relation to this deficiency.