Client at Osaka facility for people with disabilities suffers serious burns after staff fail to check the temperature of the bath

From TV Asahi

February 10 2024

Ibaraki City, Osaka Pref – A male client suffered severe burns while taking a bath at a facility for the disabled in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture. The staff neglected to check the temperature of the hot water.

Ibaraki City announced on February 5th that a male user in his 30s suffered severe burns to approximately 85% of his body after taking a bath at Tomoshibien, a municipal living support center for people with disabilities.

The man is being treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

The facility manual states that the hot water should be set between 40℃ and 42℃ and then measured with a thermometer.

However, at the time, the two male employees in charge of bathing did not measure the temperature, so it is possible that the temperature was higher than that.

In addition, it seems that the man had difficulty expressing his intentions in his own words, and was unable to convey that he was “hot”.

The city is conducting an on-site investigation, and the police are also investigating the details.