Exposed Electrical Bed Remote Wiring Not Corrected
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the resident environment remained as free of accident hazards as possible and that each resident received adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents, as evidenced by damaged electrical bed equipment for one resident. The resident was an elderly female with multiple medical diagnoses including type 2 diabetes mellitus, morbid obesity, unsteadiness on feet, cellulitis, presence of a cardiac pacemaker, and lumbar spinal stenosis. Her MDS showed moderate cognitive impairment, and she was totally dependent on staff for ADLs such as showering, toileting, footwear, and hygiene. Her care plan included monitoring for congestive heart failure symptoms and pacemaker-related issues. Despite these needs, her electrical bed remote had exposed inner wiring (red, green, and blue wires) separated from the outer grey sheath at both the remote end and the outlet end, with an additional cut in the middle of the cord exposing the same inner wires. During observation and interview, the resident demonstrated the exposed wiring on her bed remote, noting that the wires had been exposed since she received the bed and that the remote had only recently been wrapped with black electrical tape. She reported that the Maintenance Director had told her the remote was on backorder. The Maintenance Director acknowledged receiving a report about the exposed wire and stated he wrapped it with electrical tape, describing the bed as low voltage and conceding that the manufacturer likely would not consider the condition acceptable. An LVN, upon viewing the cord, stated the wires should not have been exposed. Another LVN reported notifying the Maintenance Director about the exposed wiring approximately two weeks earlier and again after the resident’s family complained, after which someone wrapped the exposed wiring with scotch tape. The facility’s maintenance policy placed day-to-day maintenance operations under the Maintenance Director but did not specify how resident equipment should be maintained.
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