Unsafe Power Strip Connections Near Resident Beds
Summary
The facility failed to provide a safe and hazard-free environment for three sampled residents because multiple power strips were connected into other power strips around their beds. During observation and interview, Resident 159’s room had Power Strip 1 mounted to the wall beside the head of the bed, with Power Strip 2 plugged into it and Power Strip 3 plugged into Power Strip 2, for a total of three power strips connected to one wall outlet. Resident 159 stated she had lived in the room for almost a year, that the power strips were already there when she moved in, and that staff knew about them but had not removed them. Resident 159’s record showed diagnoses including anxiety disorder and difficulty walking, and the MDS indicated intact memory and cognition with assistance needed for eating, oral hygiene, personal hygiene, toileting hygiene, chair/bed-to-chair transfer, and showering. Resident 22’s record showed diagnoses including diabetes mellitus and difficulty walking, and the MDS indicated severely impaired memory and cognition with assistance needs for eating, oral hygiene, personal hygiene, toileting hygiene, and chair/bed-to-chair transfer. Resident 144’s record showed diagnoses including hemiplegia and muscle weakness, and the MDS indicated severely impaired memory and cognition with assistance needs for eating, oral hygiene, personal hygiene, toileting hygiene, and chair/bed-to-chair transfer. During observation and interview, Power Strip 4 was mounted to the wall at the foot of Resident 144’s bed with Power Strip 5 plugged into it, and Resident 22’s hospital bed and TV were plugged into Power Strip 5. Resident 22 and Resident 144’s curtains were draped close to the two power strips near the oxygen concentrator used by Resident 22 when short of breath. CNA 1 stated she did not know how long the power strips had been connected or who arranged them, and did not know if it was safe to connect them. The Maintenance Director stated staff should not connect power strips to each other because it could cause fire and put residents at risk, and he did not know who connected them or how long they had been in place.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Trusted data from CMS and state health departments
Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release July 29, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.
In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.
The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.