Drilling into asbestos-containing drywall in a Kamloops long-term care facility and failing to properly respond to staff reports about the work has led to Interior Health (IH) being fined over $780,000 by WorkSafeBC.
The fine was imposed on IH on June 11, according to WorkSafeBC's online penalty database.
According to the fine information, WorkSafeBC had investigated the facility itself after receiving reports of the asbestos-containing material being disturbed by the installation of telecommunications lines.
The investigation found multiple failures on IH's part, including a failure to conduct a risk assessment before the work began, a failure to develop and implement an exposure control plan that met regulatory requirements, a failure to take necessary precautions to protect workers before disturbing the materials and a failure to investigate and promptly correct the reports of unsafe or harmful conditions.
The last point, the WorkSafeBC fine states, was a repeated violation.
As a result of the multiple, high-risk violations, Interior Health was fined $783,068.26.
The fine is the largest the health authority has received. It is more than triple the $274,073.89 fine issued in August of 2024 over staff at Penticton Regional Hospital being exposed to illicit drugs that sickened two and required treatment for eight more.
That fine was also based in part on being a repeated violation.
