Failure to Complete Pre-Employment Health Assessments Prior to Staff Start Date
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that pre-employment health assessments were completed prior to the first day of employment for two of five sampled staff members, as required by facility policy and licensure regulations. Record reviews showed that both Food Service Assistants began working and were scheduled for shifts before their Communicable Disease Screening forms were completed and reviewed by a nurse. Specifically, one staff member started work and completed several shifts before the health assessment was signed and reviewed, while the other also worked multiple shifts prior to the completion of their health assessment. Interviews with the Facility Administrator confirmed that new staff typically undergo two days of online orientation followed by on-the-job training, and acknowledged that the required pre-employment health assessments for these two staff members were not completed before they began their job duties. The failure to complete these assessments prior to employment was in direct violation of the facility's own hiring and screening policy, which mandates that employment is contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment health assessment to prevent the potential for transmissible diseases.