Failure to Maintain Safe and Secure Resident Room and Bathroom Fixtures
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to maintain a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment in multiple resident rooms and bathrooms. During observations, a bed/wall protector board in one resident room was found hanging at a diagonal angle, with one side on the floor and only the opposite side still fastened to the wall. In the bathroom of another resident room, a shelf holding hand towels and wipes was not secured on one side and was leaning against an adjacent wall for support. In a separate resident room, baseboard strips along the wall were loose and not fastened, and an additional baseboard strip in that room’s bathroom was found completely detached and lying on the floor. Further observations showed that a toilet tank lid in one resident bathroom did not fit the toilet tank, leaving the water in the tank exposed on both sides. In another resident bathroom, the towel bar was loose and not fastened on one side, causing it to hang down. The toilet in that same bathroom was loose and could be moved approximately 2 to 3 inches from left to right. These environmental issues were directly observed by surveyors in 4 of 6 resident bathrooms and 2 of 6 resident bedrooms reviewed. Interviews with the Maintenance Director (MD), DON, ADON, and Administrator (ADM) revealed that all of them were unaware of the loose toilet, loose towel bar, loose baseboard strips, loose bed/wall protector board, loose shelf, and ill-fitting toilet tank lid prior to the survey. The MD stated he was responsible for repairs, used an online system to receive and prioritize work orders, and conducted weekly checks, but none of these specific problems had been reported to him verbally or through the system. The DON, ADON, and ADM each confirmed that needed repairs were to be reported through the online maintenance system and that any staff could submit requests, but none had received reports of these issues. Facility policies on Maintenance Service and Work Orders indicated that the maintenance department was responsible for keeping the building in good repair and free from hazards, and that department directors were responsible for filling out and forwarding work orders to the MD to establish repair priorities.
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