F0689

E

Pavement Gap in Smoking Area Creates Wheelchair Hazard

Bakersfield, California Survey Completed on 01-15-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to maintain the designated smoking area free of accident hazards, specifically a gap in the pavement that interfered with wheelchair movement. During an observation and interview, two alert and oriented residents who used wheelchairs reported that their wheelchairs were caught by the pavement gap, with one resident describing it as a “speed bump” that could cause residents to fall from their wheelchairs. A third alert and oriented resident using a wheelchair also reported that his wheelchair had gotten stuck in the same pavement gap and described it as a fall hazard for wheelchair users.

During a concurrent observation and interview in the smoking area, the Director of Maintenance measured the pavement gap and stated it was 0.75 inches wide. The Activities Director, who stated she was responsible for monitoring residents in the smoking area, acknowledged the need to ensure that residents using wheelchairs were not caught in the pavement gap. Review of the facility’s policy titled “Safety and Supervision of Residents,” dated July 2017, indicated that the facility strives to make the environment as free from accident hazards as possible, which was not achieved in this instance due to the unresolved pavement gap in the smoking area.