Two workers sickened at local state prisons not believed to be drug related
Two state Department of Corrections employees, one at SCI-Greene and the other at SCI-Fayette, were hospitalized within 24 hours of each other this week after becoming sick in separate incidents at work, although a prison official said the department does not believe the illnesses were related to exposure to illegal drugs.
No drugs were found in either case, DOC spokeswoman Amy Worden said Friday. The areas where the employees had been working were checked for signs of illegal drugs and drug dogs were brought in, but nothing was found, she said.
It’s possible the employees became ill for other reasons, Worden said.
“We have thousands of people working inside the prisons and people do get sick during the day,” she said.
The incident at SCI-Greene near Waynesburg, which involved a corrections officer, occurred Tuesday afternoon.
The one at SCI-Fayette near LaBelle involved a commissary worker and was reported just before noon Wednesday.
In each case, the employee reported feeling ill and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Both have since returned to work, Worden said.
The department implemented new rules and procedures at all of its prisons earlier this month after inmates and corrections officers became ill from exposure to synthetic drugs.
Between May 31 and Sept. 1, more than 50 staff members and 33 inmates reported becoming ill and were taken to hospitals for treatment or evaluation. Toxicology results confirmed the presence of synthetic cannabinoid in many instances of staff exposure, the department said. Lab tests confirmed inmate overdoses linked to synthetic cannabinoids and other illegal substances.
The department implemented a 12-day lockdown, which ended Sept. 10, during which officials conducted mandatory training on the use of protective equipment and special teams were trained in the detection, containment and removal of hazardous materials.
The department also implemented changes to processes at state prisons, including the elimination of mail processing at prisons and the use of a third-party vendor to process inmate mail, increased staffing at visiting rooms and expanded use of body scanners.