Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1528009.015 - Center On Aging And Health, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Tennessee Osha Gray Office - Health

Investigation Summary

An employee had worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse for a retirement community. The employer conducted contact tracing and determined that the employee had been administering nursing care to long term residents. The employee was assigned clinical duties in the East Wing of the facility which was known as "COVID Hall". All residents known or suspected of being COVID-19 positive were transferred to the East Wing. The employee was required to wear an N95 filtering facepiece respirator. The employer indicated that the facility had a surge in COVID-19 positive residents at the on or about November 2, 2020, which prompted the employer to convert the East Wing into an isolation hall to reduce the spread of COVID-19 throughout the facility to the extent possible. Up to that point in the pandemic, the facility had almost no COVID-19 cases. In the nine days prior to November 5, 2020, resident cases increased from 2 to 15 and the employee and 6 coworkers tested positive. As the cases increased, employees were assigned to the work in the East Hall based upon previous COVID-19 exposure. Employer records indicated that in 37 days, the employee and 25 coworkers tested positive for COVID-19. The employee went to an Emergency Room and tested positive on November 06, 2020. On November 11, 2020, the employee was hospitalized prior to her death on December 4, 2020. The employer did not have an adequate Respiratory Protection Program in place.

Keywords: Infectious Disease