Improper Storage of Portable Oxygen Tank on Hallway Stretcher
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency related to accident hazards when a portable oxygen tank was found improperly stored on a metal stretcher in the 100 hall, short side. The facility’s oxygen policy dated December 10, 2025, required that portable oxygen tanks be stored safely in an upright position. However, during observation on February 10, 2026 at 1:45 p.m., a full portable oxygen tank was seen lying unsecured on the middle section of a metal stretcher parked in the hallway outside residents’ rooms and within residents’ reach. An interview with an LPN at the time of the observation confirmed that the oxygen tank should not have been stored on the stretcher in the hallway and that she did not know why the stretcher was there. In a subsequent interview, the Regional Nurse also confirmed that the oxygen tank should have been stored securely and not lying on a stretcher in the hallway, indicating the facility failed to maintain an environment free from accident hazards as required by policy and regulation. No specific resident medical histories or conditions were described in relation to this deficiency, only that the unsecured oxygen tank and stretcher were located within reach of residents’ rooms on the 100 hall.
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