During a surprise visit to the Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) yard in Cherry Hill on Wednesday morning, the Inspector General found inadequate water supply, inoperable ice machines, and broken air conditioning units in areas occupied by employees.
This comes on the day Baltimore is projected to be one of the hottest cities in the country with a heat index swelling upwards of 100 degrees.
The visit was part of an emergency follow-up to observations conducted earlier this summer where Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Cummings saw similar patterns.
The visits and subsequent report, also published on Wednesday, were administered after the inspector’s office received a tip that Cherry Hill DPW workers were not provided with “adequate ice, water, and fans.”
The inspector general is calling on the city to fix the problem immediately.
“Without adequate and safe working conditions, the City is not only potentially violating OSHA regulations, but DPW workers’ health and safety are currently at risk. The OIG requests for swift and immediate action to be taken to prevent further risk and explore alternatives, including a possible alternate work site,” wrote Cummings in her report.
Cummings also warned that the conditions could be in violation of a memorandum of understanding between the city and AFSCME 44, the labor union representing many city workers. That MOU requires employees to have a “safe and healthful workplace.”
When Cummings arrived at the yard on Wednesday she observed that no ice or water bottles were delivered to the yard for early morning workers. Instead she found an unlined trash can filled with melted ice and a few water bottles left over from the day before. She also observed two inoperable ice machines, which according to an onsite employee, have been broken since summer of 2023.
The Inspector General observed no working water fountains in the building.
The Occupational Safety and Health Standards requires employers to have free potable water for employees accessible on the job site.
Throughout the site, Cummings observed a lack of air conditioning.
In the employee locker room, the screen on the thermostat was broken, leaving it impossible to get an accurate temperature reading, although Cummings in her report described the room as “hot, humid and no cool airflow.” The HVAC system was broken too; the door to the employee locker room was lodged open but the temporary air-conditioning unit installed to provide cool air was not blowing any air at all, according to the report.
According to Cummings, DPW had directed workers to use the main trailer on site as a cooling center but on Wednesday morning, she learned that that air conditioning unit had broken too. That trailer was being cooled by two temporary AC units at a time– anything more would blow the electrical power.
Despite a 65 degree setting on the temporary AC units, actual temperatures recorded by the trailer’s thermostat read between 83 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Cummings noted that those temperatures were recorded between the hours of 6 and 7 a.m., well before the worst heat of the day was projected to take hold.
“Without adequate and safe working conditions, the City is not only potentially violating OSHA regulations, but DPW workers’ health and safety are currently at risk. The OIG requests for swift and immediate action to be taken to prevent further risk and explore alternatives, including a possible alternate work site,” wrote Cummings in her report.
Wednesday’s visit revealed issues that are part of a pattern.
Earlier this summer, the inspector general’s office conducted a site visit to a recycling route in Cherry Hill and learned that workers were not given water or Gatorade before their shift. A trash truck had no air conditioning or dashboard lights to indicate mechanical problems.
On June 26th, Acting DPW Director Khalil Zaied wrote a letter to the OIG detailing how they were addressing the problem including handing out Gatorade, sending the trucks out for maintenance, and attempting to fix the air conditioning unit in the locker room. Zaied also said crews would be ordered to wear 744 Class 3 High-Vis moisture wear T-shirts in place of uniforms on extreme heat days.
In a Wednesday night statement to WYPR, DPW spokesperson Jennifer Combs wrote that the department “takes full responsibility” for the health and safety of staff. Before the start of the summer season, Combs wrote that the city provides lightweight protective gear to workers, training on heat illness, and it ensures ample shade and water are available on site.
Combs wrote that corrective measures were taken at the Reedbird Sanitation Yard in Cherry Hill. The department did note issues with the ice machine and has worked with vendors to replace parts, she wrote. Combs said that one ice machine was “fully operational” on site as of Wednesday and another would be functioning within the week.
“Ultimately, the Reedbird Sanitation Yard requires facility upgrades. We are currently in the design phase for these improvements. During construction, we plan to address and complete repairs to the air conditioning system, floors, lockers, and other necessary updates to ensure a better working environment for our employees,” said DPW in a statement to WYPR.
OSHA does not have a heat standard to protect workers toiling under extreme temperatures, however, the state of Maryland is passing its own heat standards that will be published later this year.