Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300872553 - Country Villa East

Inspection Information - Office: Los Angeles District Office

Investigation Summary

On October 7, 2009, Employee #1, a housekeeping employee of Country Villa East, was using 1-Sodium Hypochloride solution (household bleach diluted 1-to-10). Employee #1 was working alone, and there were no witnesses to the chemical exposure. Employee #1's supervisor was not present when the incident occurred. Employee #1 informed the employer that she was ill on October 8, 2009. Then, on October 10, 2009 Employee #1 was admitted to California Hospital for four-days of treatment due to acute asthma. On October 19, 2009 Employee #1 requested a leave of absence from work for personal reasons. On October 30, Employee #1 returned to work with a note from a Physician's Assistant stating that she could not work with any chemicals. On November 12, 2009 Employee #1 met with the nurse case manager to discuss her work restrictions. At that time, the employer learned that her acute asthma may be work related to her exposure to household bleach. The investigation revealed that the employer was using 1-Sodium Hypochloride bleach solutions per Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and the recommendation of the Los Angeles County Health Department. These recommendations were in response to a Clostridium Difficile infection at the facility.

Keywords: RESPIRATORY, BLEACH, INHALATION