 Illinois
nursing home fined for COVID-19 safety violations
Send a link to a friend
[October 15, 2021]
By Daniel Wiessner
(Reuters) - An Illinois nursing facility
was fined more than $83,000 for failing to protect its staff from
COVID-19, the Labor Department said on Thursday, the largest penalty
under a U.S. healthcare worker safety rule adopted during the pandemic.
|
|
 West Suburban Nursing and Rehabilitation Center had six violations
in a July inspection including failing to ensure that N95
respirators fit and were used properly, according to a statement
from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part
of the Labor Department.
A staff member at the 249-bed facility in Bloomingdale, Illinois,
died of COVID-19 last year.
OSHA in June adopted an emergency rule requiring healthcare
employers to take steps to protect workers from COVID.
[to top of second column] |
 “After more than a year of
fighting this pandemic, employers should know
the procedures to minimize workers’ risk of
exposure and take every precaution," said Jake
Scott, OSHA's area director.
The facility did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in New York;
Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
