The BCGEU is becoming increasingly discouraged by the soft approach taken by the WCB to workplace safety issues in B.C. corrections facilities.
 
The latest incident at the Kamloops Correctional Centre and the resulting order issued by the WCB are a concern, as key recommendations put forward by union officials to protect corrections officers were ignored by the government agency.
 
“We were hoping that the inspections of B.C. jails in 2013 would give WCB a better understanding of the issues faced by corrections officers in overcrowded facilities across the province,” says Corrections and Sheriffs Component vice president Dean Purdy. “Instead, we’re seeing our recommendations on risk assessments and accident investigations being ignored, and interim measures not being implemented after WCB inspections.
 
“Our members on the ground are seeing ongoing assaults and violence, with corrections officers continuing to be put in harms way. It seems that WCB and the employer are not taking the safety of our members seriously.”
 
Following the assault of a corrections officer

by an inmate at the Kamloops Correctional Centre in June, an order was written by WCB regarding Policy 4.30, which requires employers to advise workers of the results of a risk assessment and instruct workers on measures taken to minimize the risk of violence. The order is currently outstanding.
 
“We’re very concerned that one of our officers will pay the ultimate price while on duty in one of our centres,” says Purdy. “We don’t want another incident like Burns Lake or Prince George that saw workers lose their lives.
 
“We keep hearing that the new Okanagan Corrections Centre will answer the concerns about overcrowding and violence, but why should we wait. We already have empty beds in living units around the province that could be used to help solve the overcrowding problem.”