Unsecured Hazardous Chemicals Found in Resident-Accessible Storage Room
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to secure hazardous chemicals in a resident-accessible area. Specifically, an unsecured resident room at the end of the East hall was being used for storage and contained six 1-gallon bottles of chemicals, including ZEP Wet Look Floor Polish, Floor Front Floor Finish, and Betco Advanced Alcohol Gel Sanitizer. The storage room door could not be locked, and the chemicals were not secured, despite each bottle having warning labels to keep out of reach of children. The DON confirmed the chemicals were accessible and acknowledged that staff were aware of the requirement to keep such items locked and only accessible to housekeeping and maintenance. Review of the facility's policy indicated that all chemicals must be secured with locks and only accessible to authorized personnel. The MSDS for the chemicals present in the room detailed potential harms, including skin and eye irritation, respiratory irritation, and flammability. At the time of the observation, there were no wandering residents seen on the East hall, but the unsecured chemicals presented a potential hazard. The DON observed the unsecured chemicals and reiterated the facility's policy regarding chemical security.