Unsafe conditions for city workers

Weeks before the death of Baltimore sanitation worker Ronald Silver II on a blistering hot August day, Inspector General Isabel Cumming had zeroed in on hazardous conditions at his workplace. We covered her findings at his workplace and others - no functioning air conditioning, broken thermostats, inoperable water fountains and no ice. Crews were dispatched on without cold water or Gatorade in trucks that, in many cases, were without air conditioning. After Silver died - he'd collapsed on a woman's doorstep, begging for water - the mayor promised a full investigation. But as The Brew reported, the D.C. law firm Scott hired was one that specializes in defending big employers and was leading an industry lobbying campaign to weaken OSHA's proposed workplace heat standards. Their report, which reached many of the same conclusions that Cumming did, will now guide the city, with officials promising improved conditions, safety training and procedures around workplace heat and more.

Nov 26, 20240

DPW crew member says he passed out from heat exhaustion on same day that co-worker died

An eyewitness describes the circumstances surrounding the death of Baltimore sanitation worker Ronald Silver II, and the pressure on crews to work quickly with few breaks, no matter the weather.

Oct 29, 20240

DPW is again found by Baltimore’s inspector general to be fudging numbers

“No attempt to obscure or obfuscate,” says Public Works Director Khalil Zaied, who admits that 10 of 26 heat-related cases were removed from a spreadsheet.

Oct 24, 20240

Critics say report shows city “closed its eyes,” allowing a worker’s preventable death from extreme heat

Findings by a D.C. law firm verify the Inspector General’s warnings – released before Ronald Silver’s death – about unsafe conditions for Baltimore sanitation workers.

Oct 24, 20240

Rodent infestation, exposed wires and more at a Baltimore Recreation and Parks facility

Continuing her close look at city government workplaces, Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming finds “unsafe and unsanitary conditions” at a maintenance building.

Oct 7, 20240

City admits giving wrong data in response to inspector general request

Instead of 39 solid waste employees participating in a computer training program, just one actually attended, underscoring what IG Cumming calls the “digital divide” within Baltimore government.

Oct 2, 20240

After latest IG report on Baltimore sanitation workers: “We’re trying to turn the Titanic around”

The city’s response to the finding that 136 solid waste workers have no health insurance reflects “an entrenched culture,” says Baltimore Inspector General Cumming.

Sep 27, 20240

Maryland issues workplace heat standards in wake of Baltimore sanitation worker’s death

The long-in-coming regulations will take effect after the death of Ron Silver II, a Baltimore sanitation worker who collapsed on a woman’s doorstep, begging for water.

Aug 27, 20240

DPW says it may suspend citywide trash collections Wednesday due to high temperatures

Agency reacts following the death of a sanitation worker, saying it is “proactively planning to adjust operations ahead of predicted high temperatures.”

Aug 26, 20240

Baltimore won’t disclose the agreement it made with D.C. law firm over employee’s heat death

“Citizens are best served when their government can have the benefit of confidential legal advice,” the law department says in denying our PIA request.

Aug 22, 20240

Ronald Silver’s family demands answers from the city after his on-the-job death

The city’s choice of a D.C. law firm that lobbies to weaken workplace heat protections is “baffling and offensive,” the lawyer for Ronald Silver’s loved ones says.

Aug 16, 20240

Family criticizes timing of Mayor Scott’s announcement of legal review of sanitation worker’s death

The announcement by Scott and DPW came hours before Ronald Silver’s loved ones were set to hold a remembrance of his life in front of City Hall.

Aug 6, 20240

Pockets of DPW have been toxic for decades, say City Council members and union leaders

Demanding safety measures in the wake of a Baltimore sanitation worker’s death, they stopped short of calling for resignations and warned against “finger-pointing.”

Aug 5, 20240

Baltimore pauses trash and recycling collection after worker dies on the job from heat-related illness

Ronald Silver II, who died Friday after being overcome by heat, was based at a facility criticized for hazardous conditions by Baltimore’s Inspector General. DPW plans to hold “heat safety training” tomorrow.

Jul 25, 20240

Many city workers endure inhumane conditions similar to those uncovered by OIG, union leader says

A recent example? Urine dripping from the ceiling of police headquarters, says the president of the City Union of Baltimore, who calls on Mayor Scott to convene a health and safety work group.

Jul 23, 20240

DPW knew about poor working conditions at solid waste facility for months, IG says

“This is about more than water and Gatorade – it’s about a culture that thinks it’s okay to make the people who work for us put up with terrible conditions,” Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming says after visiting nine Baltimore worksites.

Jul 19, 20240

After Inspector General report slams conditions for sanitation workers, DPW responds

Agency offers context for IG’s findings and says it could not confirm that all faucet water was hot. Meanwhile, her office is preparing a new report after inspecting nine other DPW facilities.

Jul 10, 20240

In surprise visit, Baltimore inspector general finds sanitation workers exposed to extreme heat, no A/C

“Conditions this morning were actually worse than the first time we were there,” says Isabel Mercedes Cumming, responding to employee complaints of no air conditioning and other health risks at DPW’s Cherry Hill yard.

May 1, 20230

Baltimore City government workers are subjected to “egregiously” unsafe conditions, union says

Exposed wiring, absence of sprinklers, trenches with no trench boxes – conditions that have caused employee injuries and fatalities in the past are going uncorrected, the City Union of Baltimore says in a scathing report.