Aug 14, 2018 4 min read

Four corrections officers who became ill Monday night after coming into contact with an unknown substance while searching an inmate’s belongings at SCi-Greene, were treated at a local hospital and later returned to work.

The officers were taken to Washington Health System-Greene for treatment, SCI-Greene spokeswoman Tracy Shawley said. All four returned to work Monday night.

The officers reported feeling ill about 7 p.m. while they were searching the inmate’s property. The four were isolated and the work area was closed off to prevent anyone else from possibly coming into contact with the substance, the state Department of Corrections said in a release.

Following protocol, a hazmat team was called in to inspect the area and the prison was locked down.

Shawley said the officers were wearing personal protective equipment, which would include gloves and possibly masks. Corrections officers receive regular training on conducting searches of inmates and their cells, she said.

SCI-Greene is continuing its investigation and will work with state police to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. State police Sgt. Thomas Maher at the Waynesburg barracks said police were called for a consultation but as of Tuesday had not begun a criminal investigation.

At least five incidents involving employees becoming ill after contact with unknown substances have been reported since the beginning of August at prisons in Mercer, Greene and Fayette, Depart of Corrections press secretary Amy Worden said.

The department does not know if the incidents are related but many of the reported symptoms have been similar and include headache or dizziness and throat irritation or burning, she said.

Samples of suspected substances have been sent to state police, “but we don’t have a firm identification of what (the substances) are,” Worden said.

“The safety of staff and inmates is of paramount concern to the DOC,” she said. “The drug epidemic is constantly evolving with more potentially harmful substances being introduced in institutions as it has in communities outside.”

On Friday, four corrections officers and two nurses at SCI-Fayette were taken to Uniontown Hospital after becoming ill from contact with an unknown substance.

The four officers had been searching an inmate’s property when they began experiencing headaches and tingling or burning sensations in their throats. The two nurses who treated them also began exhibiting symptoms, said SCI-Fayette spokeswoman Rhonda House. All the employees were treated and released and are back at work, she said

A hazmat team tested the area of the prison where the officers had conducted the search but found nothing, House said. The inmates’ property has been turned over to state police for further testing, she said.

Another incident was reported Aug. 6 at SCI-Mercer. In that case, five corrections officers and a staff doctor were treated after the officers came in contact with an unknown substance while searching an inmate’s cell.

One staff member was administered naloxone, normally used to treat a person experiencing a suspected opioid drug overdose, DOC said in a news release. That officer was hospitalized overnight while the others were treated and released. SCI-Mercer spokeswoman Andrea Shiock said Tuesday the incident remains under investigation

All of the affected institutions have been searched by specifically trained teams that include drug-detecting dogs, she said.

The DOC also will be retraining relevant staff to respond to hazardous materials and to new drugs being introduced in the community and will increase the use of protective gear for staff to wear when conducting searches and handing inmate mail or other items, she said.

The DOC also is now considering installing body scanners at all institutions to ensure contraband does not enter the institutions, Worden said.