Failure to Maintain Safe Indoor Temperatures
Summary
The facility did not maintain a comfortable environment on five resident-occupied floors, including the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Floors, during a period when resident room temperatures ranged from 46 F to 57 F. During an initial tour with the Director of Maintenance, temperatures measured with an infrared temperature gun showed resident rooms, corridors, and day rooms on each of these floors well below the facility’s stated target range of 71 F to 81 F. On the Sixth Floor, resident rooms were measured as low as 49.4 F, with the corridor at 54.6 F and the Day Room at 60.2 F. On the Fifth Floor, resident rooms were measured as low as 51.7 F, with the corridor at 57.8 F and the Day Room at 57.9 F. On the Fourth Floor, resident rooms were measured as low as 52.5 F, with the corridor at 58.7 F and the Day Room at 62.8 F. On the Third Floor, resident rooms were measured as low as 52.9 F, with the corridor at 60.4 F and the Day Room at 62.8 F. On the Second Floor, resident rooms were measured as low as 46.9 F, with the corridor at 58.4 F and the Day Room at 59.2 F. The report also noted that 14 water temperatures in resident bathroom sinks and 3 Day Room sinks were measured using the facility’s digital cooking thermometer, with temperatures as low as 48 F and as high as 52 F. The Administrator stated the facility did not report the loss of heat to the Department of Health because she believed it was not necessary unless it lasted longer than 4 hours. The Director of Maintenance stated the boiler vendor had been at the facility the day before, changed a pump, and the boiler began running in the evening, but the fix was short-lived and the vendor returned to assess a clogged supply line that needed cleaning. The facility policy for Extreme Weather-Cold stated that immediate actions were to be taken when heating systems were inoperable to maintain temperatures within 71 F to 81 F and to provide blankets, warm beverages, warming centers, consider evacuation, and notify the New York State Department of Health.
Penalty
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