Elected officials and union leaders in Baltimore are calling for safer and more humane working conditions for the city’s public works employees after a man collapsed and died from heatstroke last week while collecting trash during hot summer weather.
Critics say the recent death of Ronald Silver II, 36, is a tragic result of longstanding problems within the agency, including an abusive culture perpetuated by supervisors and a lack of concern for basic health and safety measures.
“These men and women are doing the jobs that none of us wishes to do. They’re picking up trash,” Baltimore City Councilmember and former public works employee Antonio Glover said during a news conference Tuesday morning outside City Hall. “And I’m here today to say that we can no longer treat our men and women like the very same thing they pick up — trash.”
City officials had previously said that Silver died late Friday afternoon after experiencing “a medical situation that required immediate assistance while he and his fellow crew members were riding in their truck.”
Temperatures in the Baltimore area climbed to about 100 degrees (38 C) on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
On Monday, the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner attributed his death to hyperthermia, a condition that results from a person’s body overheating. His death was ruled accidental.
