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The Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission has been fined $171,000 by the Workers’ Compensation Board because of dangerous conditions at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.

The B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union said Thursday that union members at the hospital have been urging their employer to introduce safety measures, including investments in equipment and upgrades to the facility, as well as safer policies and procedures.

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“The Provincial Health Services Authority needs to intervene at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital to address these issues immediately, before any more workers get hurt,” union president Stephanie Smith said in a statement. “This facility has an atrocious record when it comes to violent incidents, and refusing to address the causes is completely unacceptable.”

Since 2013, WorkSafeBC has issued more than 44 orders to the employer mostly due to their failure to protect workers from violence. Despite these multiple orders, the union said, the employer has failed to take sufficient precautions for the prevention of work-related injuries or illnesses.