A Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) employee was injured this past Friday after a fall from a sanitation truck, as the vehicle navigated over a speed bump on the 1600 block of Pentwood Road. According to CBS Baltimore, two solid waste employees lost their balance during the incident; one regained their footing, while the other tumbled to the ground. The injured worker was subsequently transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital for medical evaluation. DPW officials have stated that an internal investigation is underway, conforming to existing safety protocols.
The mishap comes amidst a troubling backdrop of recent safety concerns involving the city’s DPW. Last November, another DPW worker, Timothy Cartwell, died when he was pinned between a sanitation truck and a utility pole. The State’s Attorney office’s investigation into this past tragedy found “gross negligence” on the part of the DPW, including the failure to administer timely alcohol testing and inadequate employee safety training. “Unfortunately, due to the gross negligence of DPW’s actions, this investigation is tainted and our office cannot proceed and cannot make a determination,” State’s Attorney Ivan Bates stated in a report by CBS Baltimore.
In a separate but similarly grave incident, DPW employee Ronald Silver II succumbed to extreme heat while working last summer. His death, preceding Cartwell’s, adds to a narrative of ongoing safety issues within the department. After Cartwell’s death, no charges were filed despite the findings of widespread negligence, echoing the frustration of the families and community members who seek accountability and safer working conditions for DPW workers…