Drugs like fentanyl are doing real damage to communities and worksites province-wide
Illicit use of fentanyl and other opioids will likely hook you and probably kill you. These drugs don''t care about your age, colour, gender, class or creed and they''re causing profound devastation across the province.
The disturbing evidence is in the numbers: fentanyl and other opioids killed 241 Albertans in the first six months of 2017 alone, and death rates from the drugs have more than doubled since 2011 to over 1,000.
"The figures are shocking and highlight a problem that''s completely shattered the lives of tens of thousands of Albertans," said AUPE Vice-President James Hart.
The epidemic has reached such heights that the provincial government declared the opioid problem a public health crisis last spring.
"But as illicit opioid use becomes more extensive on the streets, it also invades our provincial institutions, many of which are serviced by AUPE members," said Hart.
Just a few grains of fentanyl powder is enough to take an individual down. It''s absorbed easily into the body through inhalation, skin contact and more. For those on the front lines, the risk of accidental exposure is growing rapidly.
"We had a frightening incident occur at the Calgary Correctional Centre back in September that saw two correctional peace officers rushed to hospital because of accidental exposure to fentanyl," said Hart.
"An officer was responding to an inmate in possession of an unknown powder and upon investigation of the substance, went into medical distress. Narcan, the antidote to the drug, was administered.
"Two other staff and the inmate were also sent to hospital," Hart added. "This is happening at correctional facilities province-wide. Officers are coming into contact with the opioids through cell and vehicle searches, mail and while responding to inmates in medical distress.
"We''re calling for greater access to Narcan and more education, including on proper protective equipment, from the employer."
In a positive move, the province launched a year-long pilot project that introduced body scanner technology to the Edmonton Remand Centre late last year.
"AUPE had requested this technology be installed for some time as part of ongoing efforts to improve safety at correctional facilities around Alberta," said Hart. "Following the test run in Edmonton, we look forward to seeing body scanners at other provincial facilities as well."
But it''s not just corrections dealing with the associated effects of fentanyl and other opioids on the worksite.
A major increase in emergency room and hospital visits because of overdoses is putting health care workers at increased risk of accidental exposure.
That heightened risk is also a factor for AUPE''s courtroom workers, peace officers, social services workers, home care workers, commercial vehicle inspectors, legal aid workers, sheriffs, medical examiners and many others who work with the public.
"The hazards of exposure to these dangerous drugs on the worksite must not be underestimated," Hart explained.
AUPE has recommended that dedicated attention be given to the significant risk fentanyl and other opioids pose to workers, especially those in high-risk occupations. The union is calling for the province to include these substances under Part 4 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which would recognize them as a harmful substance at the worksite.