Canadian HR Reporter

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Toronto ON M4T 2T5 (416) 429-7935 Email: info@3VCommunications.ca Website: www.3VCommunications.ca Union of correctional offi cers calls for inmates' medical information UCCO pushing for federal Blood Samples Act requiring disclosure after exposure BY LIZ FOSTER THE UNION of Canadian Cor- rectional Offi cers (UCCO) is once again pushing for improved safety measures. e union is calling for a fed- eral Blood Samples Act, which would provide members with an inmate's medical information following contact with his bodily fl uids. Currently, correctional of- fi cers in federal institutions do not have a right to know if an inmate has a disease that could be passed on to them through contact with bodily fl uids. Offi cers are regularly attacked with urine, feces and blood, said Jason Godin, second national vice-president of UCCO. "It is a fairly regular occurrence in our line of work, unfortunately, and sometimes it's almost impos- sible to prevent," he said. "It's a pretty scary situation." UCCO represents more than 7,000 employees at 40 institutions across Canada. The union has been lobbying for a federal Blood Samples Act since 2005. " e frustrating part for us is that seven out of 10 provinces have already adopted this legisla- tion," said Godin. "It seems we're lagging behind the provincial jurisdictions." The union's proposed Blood Samples Act would require in- mates to submit to a blood test following a signifi cant exposure so an offi cer knows whether or not he is at risk of contracting a blood-borne disease. Correctional Service Canada defi nes a "signifi cant exposure" as an exposure where an open wound or mucous membrane — the offi cer's eyes, nose or mouth — makes direct contact with an inmate's bodily fl uid or when the skin is penetrated as the result of a bite, stabbing or needle pricking. Following a significant ex- posure, Correctional Service Canada recommends employees follow prophylaxis protocol. is requires employees to remove any contaminated clothing, wash any injured areas with soap and water, fl ush the eyes, nose or mouth with water, if necessary, and report the exposure to their supervisor. Offi cers who have suff ered a signifi cant exposure must then decide if they want to go on "the cocktail," a variety of antiretro- viral therapies that reduce the likelihood of contracting a blood- borne disease. "It's a serious drug," said Godin. "If you talk to the offi cers that have been exposed before, the side ef- fects are unbelievable. It's almost like being on chemotherapy." Currently, offi cers must make this decision without any infor- mation about the inmate's health, he said. rough the Blood Sam- ples Act, offi cers exposed to the bodily fl uids of inmates without a blood-borne disease would not have to needlessly subject them- selves to the cocktail. "It's something an offi cer really has a right to know," said Godin. "Some of our critics would say it's a privacy issue and that's re- ally frustrating. We don't need to know an inmate's medical history. e only time we need informa- tion is when we're attacked. So, what we're saying is when we're attacked, that's the time we need to know simply if there's a pos- sibility they could have passed a blood-borne disease onto us and, ultimately, our family as well." Following a signifi cant expo- sure, he said, correctional offi - cers undergo medical testing and practise preventative measures with their family and friends for six months. "It's traumatizing, the impact this has on your personal life," he said. " is isn't just an issue of protecting the physical safety of correctional offi cers; this is also an issue of mental and emotional health." e emotional distress should be considered in developing safety procedures, said safety consultant Alan Quilley. "Here are people running to- wards danger when everyone else is running away," he said. "So I think that deserves diff erent con- siderations. I think society has to accept that those people are put- ting themselves at larger risk, so maybe the rules that apply to you and I may be diff erent than the rules that apply to them, for their own protection. It's a hard job and if you don't protect these people, who's going to take the job next time? Eventually, you're going to run out of people who are willing to run toward the danger." From a safety perspective, the proposed Blood Samples Act is in keeping with current medical ad- vice, said Quilley. However, there are other measures correctional offi cers could take to further pro- tect themselves, he said. Personal protective equip- ment — including eye protection, gloves and face masks — should be implemented by all medical workers and other professionals who could potentially come into contact with bodily fl uids, he said. " e move to wearing personal protective equipment is pretty much inevitable," he said. "Even in medical care facilities, not every- one is wearing safety glasses when they should. Your dentist, you'll probably notice, wears safety glasses. But your doctor doesn't." Utilizing this universal protec- tion is crucial for the protection of employees, said Quilley, but if someone intends to do you harm — as is sometimes the case for correctional offi cers — the use of personal protection equipment and the observance of proce- dures of engagement likely won't be enough. "If someone wants to do you harm, there's not much you can do. It's inevitable and I'm sure that's why they're concerned," he said. " e best protection is to stop it as best you can with procedures and personal protection equip- ment and then mitigate the risk after the fact if it happens. If you get exposed to blood or bodily fl uids, the best course of action is to know what it is (you've been exposed to) and then treat it immediately." " is isn't just an issue of protecting the physical safety of offi cers, this is also an issue of mental and emotional health." The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO) is calling for a federal Blood Samples Act which would provide members with inmates' medical information following contact with their bodily fluid.

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