Baltimore City’s Department of Public Works is preparing for a possible pause in trash, recycling, and mechanical street sweeping Wednesday, as the National Weather Service predicts that the heat index could exceed 96 degrees.
The announcement comes less than a month after sanitation worker Ronald Silver II died of heat exhaustion while collecting the city’s trash. During an hours-long hearing before the City Council last week, sanitation workers condemned DPW leaders for being reactive when it comes to worker safety. Before Silver died, the Baltimore City Office of the Inspector General released a series of investigative reports highlighting unsafe conditions for DPW workers. The reports found workers lack adequate access to air conditioning and fluids, like water and Gatorade, at a number of DPW facilities, including the one where Silver worked.
On Wednesday, the city plans to have workers begin their routes early in the day to avoid the heat and have supervisors call crews back in if conditions become unsafe. In a press release, DPW did not specify what heat index the department will use to determine how hot it must be before they recall workers.
“Recognizing the unique challenges Solid Waste workers face while performing their essential duties, DPW is reevaluating its operations to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of this vital workforce,” the agency wrote in the release.
The department is asking city residents to put out their trash the night before their scheduled collection day so that it will be ready for crews working earlier hours.
Unlike in the past, crews will not wait until the weekend to reschedule missed trash or recycling collections. Instead, DPW says crews will pick up trash on the next “optimal” business day.
“Our dedicated sanitation workers face significant risks, especially during extreme heat, and it’s our responsibility to prioritize their safety,” DPW Acting Director Khalil Zaied said in a statement. “By proactively planning to adjust operations ahead of predicted high temperatures, we’re taking a necessary step to safeguard their health and well-being.”
Across the country, both municipal and private sanitation teams have made adjustments to their operations to accommodate increasingly hot summers. In Rockville, Maryland, the Montgomery County seat, crews have followed a heat policy for years that includes regular OSHA heat training and an acclimatization period for new workers.
During Thursday’s City Council hearing, Zaied said DPW has put together a heat policy that has been sent to the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health administration for review. The Maryland Department of Labor also published a preliminary occupational heat standard in July that remains under final review.
“We hope the public will join us in understanding the importance of these measures and work together to support our workers and create a cleaner, healthier Baltimore,” said Zaied in a statement.
