Failure to Maintain Consistent and Adequate Hot Water in Resident Areas
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide hot water in resident areas consistent with resident preferences and its own policy for a safe, clean, and comfortable environment. Multiple residents reported that the water in their rooms did not get hot, including during bathing, and that this had been an ongoing issue for months. On the day of survey, the Maintenance Director measured widely variable water temperatures in resident bathrooms, ranging from as low as approximately 61°F to as high as approximately 136°F, with several rooms having only cold or lukewarm water and others having very hot water. One shower room had water at about 121°F, and the laundry room sink had no water pressure and was leaking, preventing measurement of water temperature. Further observations in the boiler rooms showed that the water lines were very difficult to trace, and there were non-functioning thermometers attached to some water lines. Several orange tags were found on the lines, including tags indicating that the cold supply to the kitchen valve and the kitchen hot water valve were not working. The Maintenance Director, who had been employed for three weeks, stated he had never had a plumber come to the facility, was unsure which lines were which, and confirmed the non-functioning thermometers and tagged, non-working valves. Residents and staff interviews consistently described long-standing problems with cold water on one side of the building and in specific rooms, demonstrating that the facility did not ensure reliable hot water service in resident areas as required by its safe and homelike environment policy.
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