Astoria Healthcare Center: Exposed Wires Risk Shock - CA
Federal inspectors discovered the safety hazard during a May inspection at Astoria Healthcare Center, where Resident 65 lay sleeping with green, white, red and black wires exposed at the base of his bed controller. The resident, who has dementia, cerebral palsy and difficulty swallowing, was assessed as having severely impaired cognition and requiring substantial to total assistance from staff for bathing, toileting, transfers and other basic activities.
The bed controller was attached to the right upper siderail, with the damaged wiring clearly visible.
"It placed Resident 65 at risk for incurring injury due to the exposed wires," Certified Nursing Assistant 5 told inspectors. "Resident 65 can get electrocuted which may lead to hospitalization."
The nursing assistant said maintenance should have been notified immediately to replace the controller, but no one had reported the hazard despite the facility's policy requiring staff to report equipment problems as soon as possible.
Maintenance Supervisor confirmed the wires were exposed and said his department makes monthly rounds to check equipment in resident rooms. Staff are supposed to notify maintenance immediately when something needs repair for resident safety, he said.
"The maintenance department should have been notified immediately to change Resident 65's bed controller to provide a safe, and homelike environment," the supervisor told inspectors.
Director of Nursing reviewed a photo of the damaged controller and acknowledged the exposed wiring created an unsafe environment. She said the maintenance department makes daily rounds to ensure residents have safe environments, but the bed controller should have been reported and replaced immediately.
The electrical hazards extended beyond Resident 65's room.
In the room of Resident 107, who has paralysis on his right side following a stroke and severely impaired cognition, inspectors found four wall sockets at the head of his bed with one socket missing entirely and another cracked. Like Resident 65, this resident requires substantial to total assistance with all daily activities and is at high risk for falls.
The same nursing assistant who discovered the exposed bed controller wires told inspectors about the damaged wall sockets. She said maintenance was responsible for ensuring wall sockets weren't in disrepair, and the damaged outlets should have been repaired and covered immediately.
"The facility was not providing a homelike environment for Resident 107 as the facility is already his home," she said.
The maintenance supervisor acknowledged the wall sockets were missing and cracked, repeating that staff should notify his department immediately when equipment needs repair for resident safety.
The Director of Nursing said maintenance makes daily rounds to check rooms and ensure residents have safe, homelike environments. She said the nursing assistant should have reported the wall socket problems immediately so they could be fixed.
Both residents had been assessed as lacking capacity to understand and make decisions, making them particularly vulnerable to electrical hazards they might not recognize or avoid.
The facility's own policies emphasized the importance of maintaining safe environments. The Maintenance Service policy, reviewed in January 2025, stated that maintenance "is responsible for maintaining the buildings, grounds, and equipment in a safe and operable manner at all times" and performing functions "not limited to maintaining the building in good repair and free from hazards."
The Safety and Supervision of Residents policy declared that "resident safety and supervision and assistance to prevent accidents are facility-wide priorities" and that the facility "strives to make the environment as free from accident hazards as possible." The policy specifically addressed bed safety and electrical safety as priority areas.
A separate Quality of Life policy promised residents "a safe, clean, comfortable environment."
The electrical problems weren't the only maintenance issues inspectors found.
In the facility's kitchen, the light bulb in the meat freezer that stores milk had stopped working, leaving staff unable to properly see inside to maintain cleanliness. The Dietary Assistant discovered the problem during the inspection tour but said no one had told her the light wasn't working.
The Dietary Director said she hadn't been made aware of the broken bulb, which would require a specialty order and time for delivery. She acknowledged the light should work so kitchen staff could see inside and keep the freezer clean.
The facility's equipment maintenance policy required optimal working condition for all equipment and mandated that supervisors be notified when equipment needs repairs or replacement.
The inspection violations were classified as having minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting some residents. But for the cognitively impaired residents living with the electrical hazards, the potential consequences were serious.
CNA 5's warning about electrocution leading to hospitalization highlighted the gravity of what might seem like minor maintenance issues. For residents who spend most of their time in bed and require total assistance with basic activities, a bed controller with exposed wires represents a daily danger in what should be their safe living space.
The facility is required to submit a plan of correction to address the deficiencies, but the inspection report doesn't indicate when the electrical hazards were actually repaired or whether other similar problems exist throughout the building.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Astoria Healthcare Center from 2025-05-09 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
Astoria Healthcare Center in SYLMAR, CA was cited for violations during a health inspection on May 9, 2025.
The bed controller was attached to the right upper siderail, with the damaged wiring clearly visible.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.