Failure to Maintain Safe and Sanitary Smoking Environment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a safe and sanitary smoking environment for residents, staff, and visitors by not ensuring that proper signage was visible to designate resident smoking areas, not ensuring residents were smoking only in designated areas, and not ensuring safe disposal of cigarette materials. Observations by surveyors revealed that multiple residents were smoking on facility sidewalks and driveways, as well as in the circular driveway and covered porch near the main entrance, rather than in clearly designated smoking areas. Cigarette butts and related trash were found scattered on the ground, in landscaped areas, and around shrubbery and mulch, rather than being disposed of in the provided covered receptacles. Several residents were observed discarding cigarettes on the ground, and staff supervising the smoking areas did not intervene or direct residents to use the appropriate receptacles. Interviews with the Administrator confirmed that the facility considered both the covered porch and sidewalk areas as designated smoking areas, but there was a lack of clear signage to indicate this. The Administrator acknowledged that residents should be using the cigarette receptacles and that staff should be directing them accordingly, but stated that the area was difficult to keep clean due to frequent resident smoking. The facility's policy required safe smoking practices, use of designated areas, and proper disposal of cigarette materials, but these procedures were not consistently followed or enforced.