East Carolina Health and Rehab: Lift Sling Failure - NC
The resident, identified in inspection records only as Resident 3, was hospitalized following the January 7, 2025 incident and discharged back to the facility the same evening at 5:01 PM in stable condition. Hospital records show she had orders for acetaminophen and tramadol for pain control.
The sling had not been overloaded. The Director of Nursing confirmed the weight limit for all the facility's slings was 600 pounds, and Resident 3 had not come close to that threshold. The break was at the seam. The hook itself was intact.
The administrator told inspectors he retrieved the broken sling after the incident, saw that it was ripped at the seam, and threw it in the dumpster that same day. He did not want it used again. The sling wasn't very old, he said. The facility replaced slings every six months.
A representative from the lift manufacturer was interviewed by inspectors on September 10, 2025, more than eight months after the incident. By then, there was nothing left to examine. The representative said it would be hard to determine what had happened without viewing the sling. It could have been worn from normal use and laundering, or it could have been defective. The manufacturer's representative noted that when incidents occur, facilities are welcome to call a regional representative, who would come to the facility and assess the sling.
Nobody had called.
After the incident, the administrator and the maintenance director went through every sling in the facility. They discarded old ones and ordered new ones. Maintenance found no other slings in disrepair. The facility's laundry staff, who see the slings most frequently, were given an in-service on checking slings after each laundering cycle. Two laundry staff work during the day, and one works from 3:00 PM to midnight.
The administrator presented a corrective action plan dated January 7 and completed January 8, 2025, the day after the fall.
Inspectors rejected it.
The plan had not included any training for nursing staff on lift sling safety. The people who actually perform transfers, who handle residents at their most physically vulnerable, had received nothing. The laundry workers who check the slings before returning them for use had been trained. The aides who clip those slings onto residents and operate the mechanical lifts had not.
Federal inspectors cited the facility under F0689, which covers the obligation to protect residents from accidents. The citation was tagged at actual harm, meaning inspectors determined the resident had been genuinely injured, not merely placed at risk.
The inspection was a complaint survey, meaning someone had reported the incident to regulators. It was conducted on September 11, 2025, more than eight months after the fall.
Resident 3 went to the hospital and came home the same night. Her pain medications were adjusted. The broken sling that might have told investigators whether the equipment failed or simply wore out was in a dumpster before the day was over.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for East Carolina Health and Rehabilitation Center from 2025-09-11 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 29, 2026 · Our methodology
East Carolina Health and Rehabilitation Center in Greenville, NC was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 11, 2025.
Hospital records show she had orders for acetaminophen and tramadol for pain control.
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.