State cites Baltimore for “serious violation” after death of sanitation worker
The State of Maryland has cited Baltimore with a “serious violation” in connection with the death of sanitation worker Ronald Silver II last August, finding that Silver and his co-workers were made to work without proper protection when the heat index reached “approximately 108.6 F.”
“The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to excessive heat,” said the citation notice, issued yesterday by Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH).
“Employees collecting household trash were routinely exposed to excessive heat and humidity when picking up and tossing bags into garbage collection trucks, pulling bins from the curb to garbage collection trucks, placing bins onto automatic tippers or manually emptying bins,” the citation notice said.
The high heat and humidity on the date of the violation, August 2, created conditions “that can cause heat-related injuries or illnesses such as muscle cramps, rashes, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and death,” the notice continued.
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