A report released Wednesday by the city's inspector general said employees at Baltimore's Department of Public Works Cherry Hill did not have enough water, ice or fans to cope with the summer heat.
The report said the agency did not respond adequately to complaints about the issue, potentially violating federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards and a memorandum of understanding between the city and the union.
“The Office of the Inspector General requests immediate and swift action to prevent further risks and explore alternatives, including possible alternative duty stations,” the report from Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming's office said.
On June 5, Cumming's office received a complaint that DPW employees were not receiving adequate resources to stay cool and were required to purchase bags of ice to bring to their workplaces.
On June 6, the OIG conducted a site visit at the Cherry Hill Yard on Reedbird Avenue in South Baltimore and found that employee locker rooms did not have air conditioning or fans. An ice machine in the break room was broken, and an employee said it had not been working since last summer, the report said.
On June 14, the Office of the Inspector General visited workers on the recycling route. Crew members said they were not provided water, ice or Gatorade before their shifts. Their trucks don't have air conditioning. According to AccuWeather, the temperature reached 93 degrees that day.
Cumming brought the issue to DPW management on June 20.
DPW Acting Director Khalil Zaied responded on June 26, stating that all ice machines will be maintained, trucks will be repaired to ensure air conditioning, moisture-proof T-shirts have been ordered for employees, and Employees were instructed to use the trailer park at Cherry Hill as a cooling station until locker room air conditioning was repaired.
“DPW is committed to ensuring the well-being of its employees at all facilities in the Baltimore metropolitan area,” Zeid wrote.
However, the Office of the Inspector General received further complaints on Tuesday and conducted an emergency follow-up visit on Wednesday.
Employees told Cumming that water bottles were provided in bins filled with ice the day before. Cumming saw a trash can Wednesday with a thermos floating in it. Two ice machines were broken, and Cumming reported she couldn't find a working water dispenser.
Cumming also reported that the HVAC system in the locker room was not functioning. The air conditioner is temporarily turned off, the cold water tap on the sink is hot, and an industrial fan blows air at low frequency.
“While accurate temperatures were not available, the room was hot and humid with no cold airflow,” the report said.
“This is clearly a violation of our contract. We have contacted DPW to correct this issue,” Patrick Moran, president of the Maryland chapter of AFSCME, which represents DPW workers, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We will continue to beat the drum until the problem is solved. People cannot be expected to work in these conditions over and over again.
The report also said the air-conditioning system that tow truck workers were asked to cool down stopped functioning in June. Between 6 and 7 a.m. Wednesday, the thermostat on the makeshift air conditioner inside the trailer was between 83 and 85 degrees. That was before the day's high reached 95 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
DPW spokesperson Jennifer Combs said Wednesday she would respond to the OIG's latest findings, but had not yet done so as of 5 p.m.
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