F0880

E

Inadequate Infection Control Practices in Resident Shower Rooms

Battle Creek, Michigan Survey Completed on 01-28-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s infection prevention and control practices related to the condition and use of two resident shower rooms. In the shower room across from a specified resident room, observations showed soiled linen on the floor next to a cabinet, three empty and unlabeled shampoo bottles on the shower assist bar, an unused brief placed on the back of the sink, and a black comb with hair present that was not labeled with any resident’s name and was stored on top of the paper dispenser. On a subsequent observation of the same shower room with the DON, surveyors again noted soiled resident clothing and towels on the floor, a soiled towel on the shower stretcher, an unused brief on the back of the sink, and the same unlabeled black comb with hair on top of the paper dispenser. The DON stated that soiled linen and resident clothing should not be placed on the floor, that resident personal items should be labeled, and that these conditions did not meet infection control standards of practice.

In the shower room across from the coffee shop, surveyors observed a hand-sized pile of dark-colored hair on the shower floor near the drain, missing corner tile in the shower, and missing tile near the toilet paper dispenser. On a later observation of this same shower room with the DON, surveyors found a used bottle of shampoo and a bottle of body cleanser on the assist bar without resident names, an uncovered toilet bowl plunger resting directly on the floor beside the toilet, and the same areas of missing tile. The DON explained that the missing tile prevented the shower and area near the toilet from having a cleanable surface and that the toilet plunger should have been placed in a bag rather than sitting on the floor.