The tragic death of Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) sanitation worker Ronald Silver II exposes a devastating truth about the conditions of our working class. On August 2, Silver died of heat stroke while working, a totally preventable tragedy if proper safety measures had been in place.
On that day, temperatures reached 99 degrees, prompting an alert for extreme heat. Despite these warnings, Silver and his co-workers had to continue their exhausting work. Late in the afternoon, Silver collapsed in the Barclay neighborhood while asking a resident for help. He was taken to a hospital, but it was too late. The medical examiner confirmed that his death was due to hyperthermia.
This incident reflects the widespread neglect of worker safety. In July, the Baltimore Office of the Inspector General reported that DPW facilities across the city lacked air conditioning, fans, and access to ice. DPW officials said they were taking steps to address these problems.
This is ridiculous! It is no surprise. Why are they now “taking steps”? Baltimore swelters every summer, not just since we discovered global heating. Sanitation workers labor in terrible conditions to keep the entire population safer and healthier. They are essential workers, but their own lives apparently are not important to the government. The resources exist to provide a safe work environment, but adding amenities to the football stadium seems to be more important to those in power.
Silver’s death is a brutal reminder of all this. Workers die needlessly in the heat. Children and elderly people without air conditioning are also at risk. This society does not protect those who most need protection.
