Baltimore worker’s on-the-job death comes amid rising heat-related fatalities

In December, a 42-year-old agricultural worker picking oranges in Arcadia, Florida, began acting erratically. The worker died of heat stroke, government records show.

Last August, a 36-year-old roofer working in high heat index conditions in Pontiac, Illinois, returned to the roof after a break then became confused and collapsed. He was unresponsive and rescued from the roof but died of hyperthermia — an abnormally high body temperature.

Earlier that month, a 63-year-old construction worker attempting to unclog hosing at a power plant in Stony Point, New York, became ill. The man, who had pre-existing cardiovascular disease, was taken to a hospital, where he too died of hyperthermia.

The fatalities reported by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are among a growing number of on-the-job, heat-related deaths across the U.S. as heat waves become more frequent and extreme. Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., the U.S. Department of Labor says.

On Aug. 2, a 36-year-old Baltimore sanitation worker became one of the latest to go to work but not return home after toiling in high temperatures. Ronald Silver II was riding with his crew in a city Department of Public Works truck during a heat advisory that day when he collapsed on a Barclay resident’s doorstep. Silver, who had a fiancée and five children and whose aunt said he was the “backbone” and provider of his family, later died of hyperthermia, the Office of the Medical Examiner said.

Silver’s death has prompted elected and labor union officials and public employees to call for improved safety measures and investigative hearings . Gov. Wes Moore has requested a state-level investigation to uncover how the incident occurred.

On Monday, Silver’s family gathered in front of Baltimore City Hall to call for immediate action from the City Council and DPW.

“We will use Ronny’s legacy to make sure that this will never happen to any other DPW worker,” said Renee Meredith, Silver’s aunt.

About a month before Silver’s death, alarms were raised about working conditions at DPW facilities related to keeping workers cool and hydrated on hot summer days. A Baltimore Office of the Inspector General report and a follow-up report detailed poor working conditions, including broken ice machines, a cold-water faucet running hot water and a non-functioning HVAC system in the locker room at DPW’s Cherry Hill facility.

DPW called the findings in the OIG report “deeply concerning” and said “we do not take the working conditions of our teams lightly.” The agency’s statement said many of its facilities “require a complete overhaul” on top of minor repairs detailed in the report. The department has designated funding for major renovations and put $1.42 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward facility improvements.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said after the report was issued that conditions at DPW facilities stemmed from decades of neglect. His administration is investing $20 million in planned renovations and improvements in the next three years, he said.

The Baltimore City Council has scheduled a hearing next week to discuss work conditions inside the DPW following Silver’s death.

Before Silver’s death, Stancil McNair, a city sanitation worker for 10 years, spoke out about poor working conditions. Workers, he said, are paying the price for inadequate supervision and training and unsafe conditions. And they feel ignored, he said.

“We don’t have the right supervision in place,” McNair said. “They don’t care. It’s a culture,” where workers are seen as weak if they complain of health problems on hot days. “We are paying for their mistakes.”

Beyond facing conditions in their agency, Baltimore’s Public Works employees are part of a broader set of workers at risk as temperatures have grown more extreme.

Heat waves are occurring more frequently in major U.S. cities than they used to and they are lasting longer and becoming more intense, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. June was the 13th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures, the National Centers for Environmental Information reported.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows an increase in fatalities at work due to exposure to temperature extremes. Such fatalities jumped more than 18% to 51 in 2022, the latest year for which statistics are available. Deaths due to environmental heat climbed 19% to 43 in 2022, up from 36 in 2021.

Those figures likely underestimate the scope of the problem, experts say. Heat-related illnesses often are not reported or victims may go for help outside work hours.

“This has been a huge problem for a lot of years,” said Brenda Jacklitsch, a health scientist with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Heat-related illness or exhaustion, if not treated, can result in heat stroke, which is more severe and can lead to permanent organ damage or death. Some symptoms include headaches, dizziness, heavy sweating, nausea, weakness, elevated temperature and irritability. A person could have slurred speech or seizures or lose consciousness.

The risk is worse when workers can’t gradually acclimate to intense heat, Jacklitsch said.

“When you have extremes in heat, they don’t have time to adjust to the heat … especially if they are being told to work the same amount of hours or at the same rate,” she said.

Silver, who worked in DPW’s Bureau of Solid Waste, died after emergency services were called to Barclay and he was taken to a hospital. Silver had left the garbage truck and rang Gabby Avendano’s doorbell. She said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun that she asked if he needed water and he replied, “‘Just pour it on me,’” and she called 911.

Soon he was unable to speak at all. On the advice of a 911 operator, neighbors helped Avendano lay Silver down and begin chest compressions. Firefighters arrived and performed CPR. Silver had complained that day of leg, chest and hand pain, Avendano said she was told by his coworker.

Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3, which represents DPW laborers, said it’s incredibly dangerous for members who work outside or in facilities without air conditioning to do so without any relief, breaks or safety protocols in place.

“We are very concerned because we’re seeing summer after summer that heat waves are getting longer and deadlier,” Moran said in an email to The Sun. “Many workplaces lack strong heat protections. Without these protections in place, folks are being forced to work in these dangerous conditions.”

He said employers have not invested enough in training in heat safety or in workers’ rights in unsafe conditions. Attempts to bargain health and safety language in some union contracts are often “an uphill battle with management,” he said.

Training should be offered in giving first aid and CPR, using emergency supplies, addressing heat exposure and communicating during emergencies, Moran said.

Federal officials have begun working to strengthen heat-related protections. The Biden administration announced a plan July 2 to protect both outdoor and indoor workers from the “significant health risks” of extreme heat.

A proposed rule by the U.S. Labor Department would cover about 36 million workers in indoor and outdoor work settings and is designed to reduce workplace heat injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Heat hazards impact workers in many industries, and workers of color have a higher likelihood of being in jobs with hazardous heat exposure, the Labor Department said.

The administration is “committed to ensuring that those doing difficult work in some of our economy’s most critical sectors are valued and kept safe in the workplace,” Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su said in the July 2 announcement.

Under the rule, employers would be required to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive heat. Employers would need to evaluate heat risks and, when those risks increase, be required to provide adequate drinking water, rest breaks and control of indoor heat. Employers also would be required to implement training and procedures to respond to signs of heat-related illness and act quickly when someone experiences such an emergency.

“Every year, dozens of workers die and thousands more suffer illnesses related to hazardous heat exposure that, sadly, are most often preventable,” the Labor Department said in its announcement, noting it seeks to protect workers in a way that’s practical for employers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s occupational safety and health division recommends first aid steps for heat stroke such as calling for emergency care and staying with the worker, moving a worker to a shaded area, and cooling them with cold water, wet cloths or soaked clothing.

McNair said he believes concerns on his own job site have been ignored for too long. He had a stroke on the job two years ago and said his supervisor was dismissive when he complained of feeling ill and having chest pains. Workers should not be forced to work in high-risk conditions such as Code Red Extreme Heat Advisories, he said.

If emergencies arise, he said, “We are not trained to be in situations like that. … Over 200 men and women work behind those trucks [and] are not being paid attention to. We work and we make it through the day the best way we can.”

Sun reporter Emily Opilio contributed to this article.