BALTIMORE — Elected officials and union leaders in Baltimore are calling for safer and more humane working conditions for the city's public works employees after a man collapsed and died from heatstroke last week while collecting trash during hot summer weather.
Critics say the recent death of Ronald Silver II, 36, is a tragic result of longstanding problems within the agency, including an abusive culture perpetuated by supervisors and a lack of concern for basic health and safety measures.
''These men and women are doing the jobs that none of us wishes to do. They're picking up trash,'' Baltimore City Councilmember and former public works employee Antonio Glover said during a news conference Tuesday morning outside City Hall. ''And I'm here today to say that we can no longer treat our men and women like the very same thing they pick up — trash.''
City officials had previously said that Silver died late Friday afternoon after experiencing ''a medical situation that required immediate assistance while he and his fellow crew members were riding in their truck.'' Temperatures in the Baltimore area climbed to about 100 degrees (38 C) on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
On Monday, the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner attributed his death to hyperthermia, a condition that results from a person's body overheating. His death was ruled accidental.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Acting Department of Public Works Director Khalil Zaied said in a statement that their agencies were ''working with the crew and medical professionals who tended to Mr. Silver to understand the details of what occurred.''
Local media outlets reported that Silver rang the doorbell of a northeast Baltimore resident late Friday afternoon asking for help. The person who answered the door called 911 on his behalf.
''He stopped breathing on my stoop,'' Gabby Avendano told The Baltimore Sun. She said Silver appeared disoriented and clinging to life by the time he reached her doorstep. He asked her to pour water on him.