Failure to Track Employee Illness Resolution and Complete TB Testing
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to properly track and document employee illnesses to ensure staff were only returning to work after symptoms had resolved, as required by policy. Specifically, three staff members (a nursing assistant, a trained medication aide, and a dietary aide) were absent from work due to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and fever, but there was no documentation indicating when or if their symptoms had resolved prior to their return. The absence reports and timecards did not consistently record the resolution of symptoms, and the process for monitoring staff illnesses was identified as inconsistent and in need of improvement by facility leadership. Additionally, the facility did not ensure that a newly hired dietary aide completed the required two-step tuberculosis (TB) testing upon hire. The employee health file showed that only the first step of the TB test was documented, with no evidence of the second step being completed as required by the facility's TB control policy. Facility leadership confirmed that the necessary documentation for the second TB test was missing.