Unsafe Mechanical Lifts Left in Use Without Maintenance or Removal From Service
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure mechanical lifts used for resident transfers were maintained in safe operating condition and removed from service when potentially unsafe. During an unannounced complaint visit focused on the physical environment, surveyors observed mechanical lift #7 with Coban wrapped around its casing while it remained in use on the unit. A CNA stated the lift might be broken and should not be used, and the DON confirmed the lift should not be wrapped with Coban or in use and identified this as a safety problem. Another mechanical lift in the same hallway was labeled with a sign stating it was “not working,” yet it remained on the floor rather than being removed from service. Staff interviews showed that CNAs and an LVN had recently used mechanical lift #7 for resident transfers without noticing or questioning the Coban wrapped around the equipment. CNA 3 and LVN 1 both acknowledged the lift should not have been used and that they did not investigate the Coban or report a potential problem. The Director of Maintenance later reviewed monthly inspection logs and the TELS work order system and confirmed there were no work orders or maintenance requests for either of the two lifts in question, despite the facility’s written policy requiring routine inspections, documentation in the preventive maintenance log or TELS, and daily review of maintenance requests. This sequence of observations and interviews demonstrated that two lifts with identified or suspected problems remained on the floor and in use without being removed from service or entered into the maintenance system as required by facility policy.
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