The City Union of Baltimore (CUB) began a Friday press conference with a moment of silence for two workers who have died on Baltimore City worksites: Trina Cunningham and Kyle Hancock.
Cunningham, a DPW supervisor at the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant, died in 2019 when a catwalk broke beneath her, causing her to plummet into the wastewater vat below and drown. Hancock was a contracted worker with R.F. Warder Inc. He died working when an excavation site at the Clifton Park pool collapsed in 2018, causing him to be crushed and suffocated. Both instances resulted in citations under the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) act.
CUB leaders want to prevent more deaths.
“Baltimore city employees, workers, want the security of knowing they'll be safe at work as public employees. That is owed to our members,” said Antoinette Ryan-Johnson, President of CUB.
They released a report this week detailing MOSH violations, worker deaths, and injuries on city worksites over the last decade. They found that city worksites received 335 safety violations spread out over 95 inspections. In that time, four workers have died and six have been “seriously injured” on the job (AFT Director of Communications Ray Baker says the union does not have a firm definition of what constitutes a “serious injury”). In one of those instances, an employee lost part of two fingers when an unsecured hatch fell on their hand.
Based on interviews conducted at worksites through the city, CUB writes that they believe more workers have been seriously injured on the job but are afraid of reporting for fear of retaliation. Furthermore, the report alleges a lack of improper equipment at some sites and 58% of the workers surveyed claimed that they never received on the job safety training.
“We've got CUB members going into trenches, we've got other city employees going into dangerous conditions in the manholes where they can't, they don't even have the tools that are necessary to check the air to make sure that it's safe,” claimed Timothy Gray, a construction building instructor.
The claims in the report spread across most city agencies. A spokeswoman with the Department of Public Works confirmed to WYPR that they were reviewing the CUB report but would not be able to verify the specific claims made in their department by the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday.
A lawsuit brought on by the estate of Trina Cunningham, the DPW worker who died in 2019, was dismissed last month on the grounds that there was no proof of “intent to harm” on the part of Baltimore City. The city was also not found liable for the death of Hancock, as he was a contracted worker.
CUB is calling on Baltimore City to work with them in keeping workers safe by demanding the city do the following:
• Involve workers in all matters of safety and health
• Prioritize building a health and safety committee
• Empower employees through safety education and training
• Encourage all employees to unite and exercise their rights as workers; and
• Implement confined space, electrical, fire, bloodborne pathogen, and hazard communication programs where necessary.
