Baltimore DPW worker's death prompts demands for better conditions, safety protocols

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore City and union leaders are calling for better working conditions, safety protocols and better collaboration for the Department of Public Works workers following the on-the-job death of Ronald Silver II.

Silver died last Friday after overheating near the end of his shift.

Residents in Baltimore's Barclay community told WJZ they saw signs of concern.

"When I pulled up, he was laying on the car, like on the hood," Michael Cox said. "He was trying to get some water."

Silver collapsed on the job while the city was under a Code Red Extreme Heat Alert with the heat index surpassing 100 degrees

The Medical Examiner said he died of hyperthermia, meaning his body overheated.

Several members of Baltimore's City Council and union leaders rallied Tuesday outside of City Hall and voiced their concerns over the safety and well-being of their workers.

"The toxic culture at DPW must be gutted," AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Patrick Moran said.

The City Council members at Tuesday's news conference said they plan to have a series of hearings to find ways to make working conditions better at DPW.

"We can no longer treat our men and women like the very same thing they pick up – trash," said Baltimore City Council Member and former DPW worker Antonio Glover.

"Good worker"

Co-worker Clarence Thomas told WJZ that Silver worked at DPW's Reedbird Yard for about a year.

"Good worker," DPW Solid Waste Worker Clarence Thomas said. "I worked with him. I never had no problems."

Thomas said Silver was a family man.

"Very bubbly, vibrant, family man," Thomas said. "Me and him talked all the time about our kids."

DPW paused trash and recycling collection on Tuesday while employees attended a mandatory safety training session in the aftermath of Silver's death.

The session focused on the Occupational Safety Health Administration's guidelines for recognizing the signs and symptoms of heat stroke and related illnesses and to ensure employees recognize heat stress hazards and act appropriately to address those hazards, according to Baltimore City officials.  

Concerning report on DPW facilities

The Baltimore Inspector General's Office released a detailed report on the "concerning" DPW facility conditions.

The Inspector General noted that the Cherry Hill Reedbird Yard workers had been working in the heat without the city providing water or proper cooling facilities.  

"Imagine coming out here working in 100-plus weather – no ice, no AC or nothing and you got to deal with it," employee Stancil McNair said.

State investigation launched

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has called for a state investigation into Silver's death and is holding DPW accountable.

"I called for an investigation because I want answers," Moore said. "I want to make sure that we're doing everything that we can do to make sure that our public servants can be supported in the work that they're doing."

DPW did not release any new details on Silver's death on Tuesday but said in a statement on Monday that the agency will continue to assess working conditions at its facilities.