WorkSafe BC has issued seven orders to address safety violations at the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre.
The orders were issued Nov. 1 following a inspection of the facility from Oct. 21 to 25.
Dean Purdy of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union said the most important order was one to improve egress routes for two of the correctional officer work stations in the case of an emergency, such as a riot.
"That's really important for us," Purdy said.
Other orders include ensuring officers are properly equipped with pepper spray and radios, further training on dealing with exposure to blood and bodily fluids and providing access to information that informs workers of the risk of violence from particular inmates.
Inspectors also found written procedures were lacking for the care and use of respirators and for dealing with bears and other wild animals encountered by work crews.
Purdy, the union's component chairman for corrections and sheriff services, said the inspection was one of nine that WorkSafe BC inspectors have been carrying out at the province's six maximum-security jails and three medium-security centres.
As well, in August, Attorney General Suzanne Anton appointed Chilliwack-Hope MLA Laurie Throness to tour the centres and to report back to her by June 2014. Formerly, Throness was a public administrator who has researched prison system history.
Purdy said the officer-inmate ratio and overcrowding continue to be concerns.
"But I do want to say the corrections branch is taking some steps to improve the situation by building the new jail in the Okanagan and expanding the Surrey Pre-Trial Services Centre," Purdy said.
B.C. Corrections spokesperson Marnie Mayhew said acting on the WorkSafe orders is a top priority.
"While staffing levels are not a part of these inspections, WorkSafeBC has found our workplaces to be safe, and our staffing levels adequate," Mayhew added.
