Colorado nursing home cited for residents' violence

At a nursing home in Rocky Ford, Colo., an OSHA investigation found that residents grabbed, kicked, bit and punched at staff members, according to an article on The Denver Post website.

As a result, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) tissued a citation and fined the Pioneer Health Care Center $9,000 fine for violating safety standards by failing to protect its workers.

The nursing home has three weeks to decide whether to contest the penalties. If it accepts the penalties, the nursing home must find a way to fix the problems — by installing more security cameras and security alarms, removing dangerous items from the rooms of patients prone to violent behavior, conducting training for workers and making sure shifts are fully staffed, among other recommendations made in OSHA’s report, the article said.

Pioneer Health has had problems before. A patient died in 2010 following 16 facility-acquired infections and bed sores. 

Read the article.