Ever since the death of Baltimore sanitation worker Ronald Silver II while on the job in extreme heat, much has been said about the Bureau of Solid Waste’s systemic problems and the city’s plans to fix them.

But as for specific details about what happened on the afternoon of August 2, 2024, officials have been notably silent, prompting family members to call for answers.

Today with release of Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming’s latest report, they got some:

Two days before he died, Silver reported feeling “unwell” and having cramps and was told by a supervisor to “stay home and hydrate” the next day.

He reported back to work on the morning of August 2. At about 3:52 p.m. in an alley off East 25th Street, Silver fell to the ground outside the truck, screaming and complaining of leg cramps.

He was so weak he had to be lifted back into his truck by a fellow worker, Travis Christian, who had passed out himself earlier that day.

But despite Silver displaying classic symptoms of serious heat sickness, including disorientation, dizziness, blurred vision and leg cramps – the driver never called 911 or took him to the hospital.

Instead, he drove about a third of a mile and dropped Silver off where his car was parked on the 2000 block of Guilford Avenue. There a random citizen – upon whose doorstep he collapsed – reacted to his raspy pleadings and poured water on him.

After calling 911 and getting a busy signal, the citizen called again and then called a third time when she noticed that Silver wasn’t breathing.

With the help of two female neighbors, the citizen moved Silver to the ground and performed CPR on him guided by the operator.

The timeline included in the report shows that about 20 minutes passed between the time Silver collapsed in the alley and the citizen’s 911 call went though. About 10 minutes more lapsed before city paramedics arrived.

In the end, the Good Samaritan citizen and her neighbors weren’t able to prevent the tragic outcome – Silver shortly thereafter died at Union Memorial Hospital of hyperthermia.

But the residents did describe the driver’s disengaged actions and dismissive remarks, a key finding in Cumming’s 23-page report synopsis, which corroborates her earlier report on the harsh culture and working conditions experienced by solid waste workers.

For example:

• “The driver was saying the workers are stupid and they drink and smoke on the job,” one of the neighbors told the IG.

• “Silver was complaining about leg pain, but the driver believed Silver was joking and . . . did not want to finish the route.”

• As the citizen performed CPR and Silver began vomiting, the driver “kind of helped to roll Silver over, but acted like they did not want to touch Silver.”

• The driver said he tried to “help flatten out” Silver’s cramped hands after he first collapsed in the alley, but “would not help with [massaging] his legs.”

The IG noted that Christian and the driver said no one was using any drugs that day.

“Absolutely Preventable”

Summing up the report’s investigative findings in a final section, Cumming emphasizes lack of training.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) failed to provide any heat training to workers in 2023 or 2023, her report notes.

It was not until the IG issued emergency alerts about hazardous hot weather conditions that DPW provided a heat illness session for supervisors in June 2024.

But the report notes the session was attended by only two supervisors from the Cherry Hill sanitation yard where Silver was based, and that they were not required to turn on their cameras during the virtual session.

“This meant that DPW never provided Silver, the driver or Christian with heat-related training,” the report says, adding:

“The importance of solid waste workers and drivers receiving training for the job environment is paramount for worker safety and compliance with State and Federal regulations. Injuries and deaths sustained in the workplace can have devastating impacts on not just workers but their families as well.”

“It is horrifying that it was a nearby resident, not a city official or supervisor, who called for emergency services”  – family attorney Thiru Vignarajah.

Speaking today for the family, attorney Thiru Vignarajah said the picture painted by the OIG report “is disgusting.”

It shows Silver’s death “was absolutely preventable and was the direct, predictable result of a city agency that treats its workers like indentured laborers,” Vignarajah said in an emailed statement.

“Mr. Silver and his colleagues have been systematically denied the most basic workplace protections – water, rest, training,” he continued. “And when Mr. Silver exhibited life-threatening symptoms in 108°F weather, DPW’s truck driver, instead of calling 911, alternated between mocking and ignoring his conditions.”

“It is horrifying that it was a nearby resident, not a city official or supervisor, who called for emergency services,” he added.

No Heat Illness Prevention Plan

In its formal response, DPW does not include mention of any employee or supervisor being disciplined or terminated as a result of Silver’s death.

Instead, it highlights measures already in place and future actions DPW will take to address the concerns raised.

For example, solid waste workers are now undergoing Accident/Incident Report training in which “employees and supervisors are instructed to call 911 immediately when an employee shows signs of illness and to complete an Employee Incident Report.”

But DPW has not yet finalized a key action recommended by the IG report and promised by city officials for months – the establishment a Heat Illness Prevention Plan (HIPP).

The report says this document is tied up in collective bargaining with union leaders, noting that DPW has scheduled a meeting today with the union in collaboration with the Office of the Labor Commissioner.

“The goal of this meeting is to discuss the finalized plan and work toward its implementation in alignment with both labor agreements and safety standards,” the city’s response said.

Also still in the works is the city’s compliance with Maryland’s new workplace heat standard, which went into effect two months after Silver’s death. Public Works Director Khalil Zaied told a City Council committee last week that that plan will not be ready for another month.

With summer again approaching, the pressure is on for the Scott administration to prepare agencies for rules that prescribe water and rest at specific temperature trigger points.

Among the telling details in Cumming’s report is a chart showing that the temperature was 95°F on the day Silver called in feeling ill and 100°F the day he died.

“A heat index tool showed heat indexes in the afternoon reaching approximately 108°F,” the report said. “DPW records show two other Bureau of Solid Waste workers also reported experiencing heat illness on August 2.”