Interior Health (IH) was fined $274,000 after multiple employees were exposed to illicit drugs at the Penticton Regional Hospital, WorkSafeBC has confirmed in a new report.

The fine was issued on Aug. 1 after two workers, who later became ill, entered a patient room and caught wind of the "noxious odour."

Eight other workers were also treated for the exposure, WorkSafeBC added in its report.

"(IH) failed to implement written procedures to eliminate or minimize the risk of worker exposure to chemical agents that could cause adverse health effects," it reads.

A WorkSafeBC spokesperson declined to confirm whether the fine is related to an incident in April 2024, when staff members at the Penticton hospital checked into an emergency room after being exposed to an "unknown substance."

However, an inspection report emailed to Black Press shows that the fine stems from an incident on April 8, of this year.

At the time, IH said "any incident involving illicit substances in a hospital is concerning" and that the matter was under investigation.

WorkSafeBC has also confirmed that its latest fine to the health authority marks a repeated violation.

"WorkSafeBC has previously issued orders to Interior Health for incidents at other facilities related to Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 5.2," a spokesperson told Black Press.

The report concludes by stating that IH failed to communicate the recommended respiratory protection for its employees.

"WorkSafeBC determined that the employer's safe work procedure for responding to illicit substances had not been adequately communicated to workers, and they had not received training on the process to follow," it reads.