Failure to Maintain Safe Hot Water Temperatures in Resident Areas
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the facility failed to maintain safe hot water temperatures in multiple resident care areas, including shower rooms and a shared resident bathroom. Using a calibrated digital metal stemmed thermometer, surveyors measured hot water temperatures of 121.4°F at the A hall shower room hand sink, 128.0°F at the 200 hall shower room hand sink (which then slowly dropped below 110°F after about one minute), and 119.6°F at the B hall shower room hand sink. In the shared personal bathroom of three residents on the 200 hall, the hot water temperature was 120.7°F. At the time of these readings, the A hall mixing valve was set at 104°F, the 200 hall mixing valve was set at 126°F, and the B hall mixing valve lacked a functioning gauge or knob, making its setting indeterminable. The facility’s Maintenance Director reported that the B hall mixing valve was an older style with a knob that had broken off, so the temperature setting could not be known. The facility’s Weekly Water Temperature Log documented that hot water temperatures had been checked on all halls on three earlier dates in the same month, with no recorded temperatures higher than 110°F. However, during the survey, a plumber later identified that the B hall and 200 hall hot water heater recirculation pumps had been incorrectly plumbed, causing the recirculation pumps to bypass the mixing valves and rendering the mixing valve settings irrelevant to actual water temperatures. The plumber also stated that the B hall mixing valve was not working at all, as adjusting it did not change the water temperature. The Administrator provided a census list identifying 45 of 90 residents as confused and ambulatory, including two of the three residents whose shared bathroom had elevated hot water temperatures, and confirmed that these three residents lived in adjacent rooms sharing that bathroom. The Administrator also stated that the facility did not have a hot water temperature policy.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.