BALTIMORE — The heatstroke death of a Baltimore trash collector has shaken public works agencies throughout the D.C. region as they grapple with how to better protect workers from extreme heat during the record-setting summer of 2024.
Ronald Silver II, 36, died Friday of heat stroke while collecting trash near the end of his shift in Baltimore on Friday, according to Maryland's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The heat index at the time was 110 degrees.
The death has resulted in calls from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for an investigation and demands from public employee unions for worker safety reform.
Maryland health authorities say 14 residents have died from heat in 2024, according to the most recent weekly report issued by the Health Department.
A number of public works agencies in the D.C. region report additional workers safety measures and training have been implemented to deal with increasing incidences of extreme heat.
In Alexandria, Virginia, the county implemented new heat safety protocols beginning in 2022, according to Mike Collins, Deputy Director for Operations.
Measures include reducing or adjusting work hours during heat episodes and making more water and ice available to crews, Collins said.
“We are changing the way we work and we are starting to plan for more extreme heat in the summer," Collins said, noting that the county is working with its primary trash hauler to start collections earlier in the morning.
Prince George’s County, Maryland is now collecting trash at 5 a.m., according to officials there.
Staff at the landfill and convenience centers have cooling stations including air conditioned buses and buildings for employees. The county also enforces mandatory cooling and hydration breaks and has done worker training on how to recognize early signs of heat exhaustion to make sure workers are looking out for each other, according to Andrea Crooms the Director of the county's Department of Environment.
Crooms says measures will be reviewed in the wake of the worker death in Baltimore.
In Montgomery County, ice and electrolyte drink stations are in place at trash transfer facilities and breaks are extended with the temperature, according to county officials.
The Biden Administration this year proposed OSHA regulations to make more heat protections mandatory for workers.
Montgomery County officials report they use OSHA's recommendations for extending breaks according to the heat index value.
Meanwhile a company called Coldvest has an FDA approved emergency cooling device for heatstroke in the workplace.
"Think of it as like a heart defibrillator on hand in the workplace except Coldvest is for a heat incident," said Tracie Wagman, CEO of Coldvest.
"At the first signs of heatstroke, you have to deal with your core body temperature and symptoms aren't always what you think they are," Wagman said.
"Often it's disorientation and a bit of confusion. Counterintuitively, you stop sweating. Those are the kinds of signs that need to be dealt with immediately.”