WorkSafeBC fines Interior Health after workers exposed to unknown substance

British Columbia’s Interior Health Authority has been fined nearly $275,000 after workers were exposed to an unknown substance at a hospital in Penticton.

A notice posted online by WorkSafeBC, the province’s worker protection agency, says the $274,073 fine imposed in August was the result of an incident in which two workers were sickened after a noxious odour was detected in a patient’s room.

It says the employees became ill after entering the room in response to a service request, while eight other workers were also treated for exposure.

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The notice does not say what the substance was, but it says WorkSafeBC determined the employer’s procedure for responding to illicit substances had not been adequately communicated to workers.

It says the workers had not received training on the process to follow, and recommended respiratory protection had not been communicated.

The notice says the health authority has repeatedly failed to implement written procedures to eliminate or minimize the risk of worker exposure to chemical agents that could cause adverse health effects.