Hospital Fined $50,000 for Nurse’s Trip-and-Fall Injury

A nurse administered medication to a patient at a hospital. When she left the bedside, she lost balance and fell, breaking her arm. The cause: her foot had gotten caught in a cable attached to the bed check equipment in place on the patient’s bed. The cord hadn’t been properly secured. In fact, dangling cords were a known safety hazard and had been documented in the JHSC’s inspection records. The MOL found that the hospital failed to provide adequate information, instruction and supervision with respect to avoiding trip hazards associated with cords. The hospital pleaded guilty to an OHS violation and was fined $50,000 [St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Govt. News Release, June 5, 2014].