BURNABY – The latest in a series of violent incidents occurred at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) in Coquitlam Wednesday night in which the RCMP and the Abbotsford Police were needed to restrain a patient threatening staff and other patients. Another near miss, the violent patient brandished a weapon and put 10 other patients and several staff in harm’s way.

BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) members and other staff at the hospital have been urging their employer to introduce onsite safety measures to protect workers, yet these pleas have gone unanswered despite escalating violence.

“We are very concerned about the ongoing violence at this hospital and the failure of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) who operates the facility to take appropriate corrective and preventative actions,” says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. “The PHSA is prioritizing patient rights over workers’ health and safety rights – yet workers and patients alike have the right to be free from violence and health risks at this hospital.”

FPH has been issued 54 Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) safety orders and 102 WCB inspection reports have been filed in the last five years, mostly resulting from the employer’s failure to protect workers from violence. Despite these multiple orders, the employer has failed to take sufficient precautions for the prevention of work-related injuries or illnesses.

A $171,000 fine was issued by the WCB in the fall of 2016 for extremely dangerous conditions at the facility, yet the violence continues.

The Forensic Psychiatric Hospital houses up to 190 patients who have been deemed either unfit to serve trial or criminally not responsible for their crimes due to mental illness. The BCGEU represents over 270 members at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, including 130 health care workers, 15 forensic security officers (FSO), 25 dietary staff, 7 social workers and 27 administrative staff.

For more information contact: Holly Reid, BCGEU Communications  | e: [email protected]  | c: 604-785-0124

Local 467/MoveUP

BURNABY – The latest in a series of violent incidents occurred at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) in Coquitlam Wednesday night in which the RCMP and the Abbotsford Police were needed to restrain a patient threatening staff and other patients. Another near miss, the violent patient brandished a weapon and put 10 other patients and several staff in harm’s way.

BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) members and other staff at the hospital have been urging their employer to introduce onsite safety measures to protect workers, yet these pleas have gone unanswered despite escalating violence.

“We are very concerned about the ongoing violence at this hospital and the failure of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) who operates the facility to take appropriate corrective and preventative actions,” says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. “The PHSA is prioritizing patient rights over workers’ health and safety rights – yet workers and patients alike have the right to be free from violence and health risks at this hospital.”

FPH has been issued 54 Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) safety orders and 102 WCB inspection reports have been filed in the last five years, mostly resulting from the employer’s failure to protect workers from violence. Despite these multiple orders, the employer has failed to take sufficient precautions for the prevention of work-related injuries or illnesses.

A $171,000 fine was issued by the WCB in the fall of 2016 for extremely dangerous conditions at the facility, yet the violence continues.

The Forensic Psychiatric Hospital houses up to 190 patients who have been deemed either unfit to serve trial or criminally not responsible for their crimes due to mental illness. The BCGEU represents over 270 members at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, including 130 health care workers, 15 forensic security officers (FSO), 25 dietary staff, 7 social workers and 27 administrative staff.

For more information contact: Holly Reid, BCGEU Communications  | e: [email protected]  | c: 604-785-0124

Local 467/MoveUP