Unsanitary Nourishment Room Refrigerator and Freezer Due to Unclear Cleaning Responsibilities
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain the South Unit nourishment room refrigerator and freezer in a clean and sanitary condition to prevent cross contamination. On 12/17/25 at 11:17 AM, surveyors observed with the South Unit nurse that the clear refrigerator drawers contained small, dried food particles and the bottom shelf of the freezer section had a brown sticky substance spilled on it. During this observation, the South Unit nurse stated she was not aware who was responsible for cleaning the refrigerator. A second observation of the South Unit nourishment room on 12/18/25 at 10:36 AM showed the refrigerator and freezer remained in the same condition, with no cleaning performed between observations. In an interview on 12/18/25 at 10:25 AM, Housekeeper #1 reported she was assigned to clean the South Unit refrigerator once a week but had not looked at or cleaned the freezer that week. In a separate interview on 12/18/25 at 11:29 AM, the Administrator stated that the dietary department was responsible for cleaning the nourishment room refrigerators and that she expected them to be clean, indicating conflicting understandings among staff regarding responsibility for cleaning the nourishment equipment.
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