Union calls DPW worker's crushing death by trash truck "totally avoidable," demands safety data
BALTIMORE -- The union representing sanitation workers in Baltimore says the city is failing to give them critical safety information, and they have concerns about a lack of training following the second on-the-job death of a Baltimore Department of Public Works employee since August.
"We are furious with the lack of attention to it," said Patrick Moran, the president of the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "We are furious with the results of it, the results being death. Let's be very clear, it's a dangerous job."
DPW worker Timothy Cartwell died after he became trapped between a wooden utility pole and a trash truck in a narrow alley in West Baltimore on November 8. The incident was captured on security camera video from a nearby business.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cartwell family, first and foremost," Moran told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "This is something that absolutely should not have happened and was totally avoidable, and it explains why communication in this sort of job is so important, and secondly, why training is so absolutely vital and necessary."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott offered condolences to Cartwell's family, calling his death "an extreme tragedy."
In August, Ronald Silver II, a sanitation worker for DPW, collapsed and died because of hyperthermia, caused by overheating.
Requesting health and safety data
Moran said he has battled with Baltimore City to get safety information to protect workers.
"We've been requesting health and safety data for weeks, months now, from the city and we continue to get stonewalled on this," Moran said. "We have reached out to almost every level of government on this thing."
"We've not reached out to the mayor on it, but I think that's our next stop because people surrounding the mayor and the people running any sort of health and safety program, and I say that sarcastically, are not providing the info, are not doing their job, in my opinion. I just don't see how you have inexperienced people put in situations that can lead to these horrific results time and time again."
Moran described the data the union is seeking, "We want an incident report and the level of incidents, the frequency of incidents, things of that nature, so we can get a better handle on how often these things are happening, to what extent are they happening, how egregious are they, so we can have that data and can say, 'Hey, look, you need to tackle these issues.'"
Mayor Scott noted a long list of safety improvements at the Department of Public Works, initially prompted by Silver's death. An investigation found a lack of safety training and supervision in that case.
"Working with the union, working with the agency, working with the workers to build a better and safer department that has been ignored for a long time," Scott told WJZ.
"Unfortunately, we are not going to change that culture overnight," Moran said. "I think there's been a shift in culture as a result of these horrific events, but it's got to be on hyperdrive, and I think the city has got to stop trying to stiff-arm folks who want to make sure this goes right because it's in the city's best interest."
"There has to be better training," Moran added. "There has to be better involvement from the employees, which is our union, on a consistent basis, and they have to restructure everything and anything having to do with health and safety in so many jobs across the city."
360-degree surround view cameras
WJZ learned some, but not all trash trucks, have 360-degree surround view cameras.
Moran says he would like to see all trucks retrofitted with them for safety.
"As soon as this happened with Mr. Cartwell, we dove in and said, 'Hey, what are you doing here?' Again, we are at this crossroads of poor decision-making, lack of training," Moran said. "You've got to change this."
