Emergency Exit Door Alarm Turned Off by Staff
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to ensure an emergency exit door alarm was functioning to keep the environment as free of accident hazards as possible. An emergency exit door located next to a resident room had signage stating it was for emergency use only and that an alarm would sound if opened, and another sign instructing individuals not to open the door because the alarm was on and to use another exit. During an observation, the DON opened this emergency exit door and no alarm sounded. In interviews, the MD confirmed the door was intended for emergency use only and that the alarm should sound when opened, and later explained that social services staff had turned off the alarm so they could hold a conference outside, despite staff not being permitted to turn off the emergency door alarm and the expectation that it remain on at all times. No specific residents, medical histories, or conditions were described in the report, and the deficiency centered on the non-functioning emergency door alarm and staff actions that led to it being turned off.
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