After issuing a series of scathing reports documenting hazardous conditions faced by Baltimore’s solid waste crews, Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming says some of those conditions have been improved.

A year ago last July, Cumming was shocked by what she found when she visited the Western Sanitation Yard in Cherry Hill on a day when temperatures reached 95℉.

There was no cold water for outgoing sanitation crews, just some warm bottles floating in a plastic trash can with melted ice water. Even before 7 a.m., the “cooling trailer” was stiflingly hot, with a thermostat reading of 85℉.

This year Cumming returned on a day in June when the heat index reached above 100 ℉ and again on July 16. Her team visited 2900 Nieman Avenue in southwest Baltimore, where Department of Public Works operations have been relocated while the Cherry Hill Yard is under renovation.

Upon arrival, she observed new trash trucks and new trailers being used for office space and as locker rooms.

“They were clean, cool and with air conditioning,” Cumming wrote in a report synopsis released yesterday. “There were two large coolers filled with ice and a few water bottles.”

The new trailers and locker rooms are “clean, cool and with air conditioning”  – OIG report.

Employees told Cumming there was a functioning ice machine and no limit on the number of water bottles they can consume. Packets of powdered Gatorade, which came in four flavors, were also unlimited.

Reporting that “overall conditions had improved in the workplace,” Cumming cautioned that “larger issues,” outlined in her office’s recent detailed report, “will be followed up on over time.”

• Highlights of the Baltimore OIG report on Solid Waste Bureau conditions and culture (3/20/25)

• The Brew’s series on workplace conditions

Cumming has been examining working conditions at DPW facilities with a sense of urgency. Two Bureau of Solid Waste workers died on the job after her office issued preliminary reports (here and here) in July 2024.

On August 2, 2024, Ronald Silver II collapsed from heatstroke after a day collecting trash amid stifling heat. Three months later, Timothy Cartwell was crushed between a trash truck and a light pole.

Her office identified a series of failings: lack of training about heat illness, vindictive supervisors, dismissive managers and a union seen by many employees as AWOL.

Bowley’s Lane

Cumming’s team found similar improvements at the DPW’s Eastern Sanitation Yard at Bowley’s Lane.

When they arrived at 6 a.m., a cooler full of ice was being re-stocked with water bottles. Heat stroke information was posted in the workplace for employees to view.

Cumming’s team was told that supervisors are instructed to perform “wellness stops” and sanitation crews are required to take breaks every two hours after the temperature reaches 90 degrees.

“According to a DPW superintendent, supervisors are required to meet their employees at designated locations to confirm that breaks occur,” the report said.

 “The bathrooms were stocked with toilet paper, which was absent during the July 2024 site visit”  – OIG report.

When Cumming visited the yard last year, the locker rooms were in terrible shape with broken toilets and sinks. The men’s stalls had no toilet paper – employees had to request it from a supervisor each time they needed it.

The latter revelation made headlines around the world, with the London Daily Mail dubbing the Baltimore facility the “nightmare workplace.”

On this year’s visit, Cumming learned that new trailers, equipped with air conditioning, showers and bathrooms, are being used while the old locker rooms are being renovated.

“The bathrooms were stocked with toilet paper, which was absent during the July 2024 site visit,” the report confirmed.

DPW Responds

In an official response attached to yesterday’s report, Acting DPW Director Matthew Garbark thanked Cumming for being “a valued partner in progress” and went on to state a number of measures the agency says it is taking to protect workers from extreme heat:

“In alignment with our safety standards, we have instituted regular wellness checks to safeguard our employees during extreme heat conditions. These assessments occur at least every two hours when the heat index reaches 90°F, and hourly when it exceeds 100°F.

“Our people leaders also carry water, electrolytes and ice in their vehicles to replenish the supplies our crews use throughout the day. We have also established a consistent delivery schedule for ice and water to ensure that supplies remain stocked and are easily available.

“To further strengthen our responsiveness, our daily operations calls serve as a forum to reinforce the importance of promptly communicating any concerns regarding water availability, ice supply or HVAC performance to our leadership team.

“Additionally, we continue to promote our Speak Up platform, providing employees with an anonymous and confidential channel to report any workplace concerns or issues.”

Unresolved: Low Wages

Garbark did not mention an issue that employees told Cumming has not been resolved:

The fact that the city’s solid waste workers get some of the lowest wages in city government – as little as $42,000 a year, or slightly more than the average wage of a fast-food worker.

In his April 2025 “State of the City” address, Mayor Brandon Scott promised pay raises for sanitation workers, but none has so far materialized.

An AFSCME Maryland Council 3 spokesperson told The Brew there is no timetable for finishing up negotiations with the Scott administration, and “there are proposals going back and forth regarding wages” across a range of jobs.

Municipal employees are prohibited by law from striking. The city code further forbids employees from engaging in activities that, in the view of city officials, would encourage or support a strike.

“Numerous workers stated that workplace conditions have been improving, but they are waiting for an increase in their salaries,” yesterday’s OIG report dryly noted.