Maryland

Heatwaves are making people sick. Is Maryland’s work safety agency watching?

Published

1 year ago

August 9, 2024

Heatwaves are making people sick. Is Maryland’s work safety agency watching?

Alvin Scott made a habit of covering the shifts of fellow solid waste workers who were struck down by summer heat.

The former Department of Public Works employee said he watched people suffer strokes, fainting, vomiting and severe dehydration — all to survive a day of tossing trash in the back of a truck.

In Scott’s six years picking up waste for the Eastern Sanitation Yard on Bowleys Lane, he said he could not recall his employer providing water or time for breaks on hot days. So when he heard last Friday that 36-year-old Ronald Silver II died of heatstroke while picking up waste along an afternoon route, Scott was not surprised.

“It’s one of those jobs where they don’t care about you out there,” said Scott, who said he left DPW in 2019 due to an injury. “You pass out and they would go get another man.”

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This year, more than 1,000 Marylanders have sought medical assistance for heat-related illness. Emergency room and urgent care visits for heatstroke, heat exhaustion and hyperthermia are the highest recorded in the last five years, according to the health department.

Yet, since 2019, the Maryland agency responsible for investigating unsafe work environments initiated only 32 inspections into employers reported for heat stress-related issues, according to data obtained by The Baltimore Banner.

The absence of inspections does not mean employees spent the last five years unaffected by heat exposure, said Devki Virk, commissioner of Maryland’s Division of Labor and Industry, which oversees the state’s Occupational Safety and Health agency (MOSH). It only means they have not received a report, she said.

The Department of Labor was unable to provide numbers on how many reports of heat-related concerns MOSH has received since 2019. Reports are submitted from a wide variety of sources, from federal partners to phone calls and emails, Virk said.

Employers are only required to report incidents that violate safety standards to MOSH. But until this summer, Maryland had not proposed rules identifying the heat-related hazards likely to harm workers.

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Multiple experts say the lack of safety enforcement by the state agency stems from years of neglect under former Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration. When Gov. Wes Moore inherited the agency in 2023, about 28% of staff positions had been left vacant. While Moore’s administration tried to rebuild — reducing vacancies, raising penalties on employers violating workers’ safety and pushing standards on workforce heat protection — the agency remains strapped for resources.

Stuart Katzenberg, director of growth and collective bargaining for AFSCME Council 3, called the lack of MOSH inspections “terribly disappointing.” His group, along with city council members and Moore, have called for an investigation into the death of Silver. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Wednesday acknowledged problems within DPW and promised to hold those responsible for harming employees to account.

Katzenberg described MOSH under Hogan as “hollowed out.” The former governor created an eight-year barrier to implementing heat protections, Katzenberg said. In Hogan’s first year in office, the number of formal complaints investigated by MOSH dropped from 106 to 92. That number later dipped to levels lower than those under previous Gov. Martin O’Malley or Moore, falling to 72 in 2019 and diving another 29% the following year, according to state budget plans.

Michael Ricci, a representative for Hogan, said the administration deeply appreciated the work of employees who helped navigate turnover in the agency resulting from the pandemic. He cited a report issued by the state agency that showed MOSH meeting the majority of their inspection enforcement goals and their fatality inspection goals.

There are five fewer safety compliance officers and three fewer inspectors than needed to match the standards set by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency, according to a federal review of MOSH. The review also discovered staff failed to respond to complaints of serious safety violations filed using Maryland’s online reporting forum between October 2022 though September 2023.

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Attracting workers and retaining them have been chronic issues, said Jamie Mangrum, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor. She did not comment on how the vacancies are affecting MOSH’s ability to investigate employers.

Only one of the 32 heat-related inspections carried out by MOSH since 2019 involved waste management, with the majority targeting food service industries, according to Department of Labor data.

A bill passing through the state legislature aims to set an enforceable heat standard, as do rules published in the state register last week. The proposed changes set a baseline for what employers must provide to protect workers, including at least 32 ounces of water per day at no cost, access to shaded rest areas and at least ten minute breaks every two hours spent working in temperatures over 90 degreest.

The rules will go through a 30-day comment period, which then leaves commissioner Virk 16 days to revise them before they are adopted.

The rules also give employers options for meeting the new benchmarks. Acclimatization plans to help workers adapt to the temperature can either be a mix of cooling measures or a gradual rise in their time spent in heat. Health care professionals and labor advocates participated in drafting the minimum requirements to keep sites cool, and give both inspectors and workers a standard barometer on what qualifies as a safety violation, Virk said.

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The Maryland rules as currently stated are more aggressive than the heat standards proposed by the OSHA in recent weeks, according to Debbie Berkowitz, a now retired senior policy advisor and chief of staff for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It will hopefully be finalized faster, she said, as the federal proposals are likely years away from being implemented.

“I’m sad we didn’t have this standard already because maybe [Silver’s] death would have been prevented,” Berkowitz said.

Despite efforts to improve safety, workers are doubtful that conditions will change. Two recent reports by the Baltimore inspector general revealed dilapidated water fountains, bathrooms and air conditioners within Public Works facilities, including the former workplaces of both Silver and Scott.

Scott said he tried to report the issues he saw to supervisors more than once. It’s unclear to him whether changes were made.

The Department of Public Works did not respond to requests for comment.

Looking back, Scott said he got out of the yard relatively unscathed, with one injury from falling off a truck. On hot days, he still remembers the older men inside the Bowleys Lane locker room, dizzy from the heat. He wonders if they will ever find a way to cool down.

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Maryland

Strong winds Wednesday evening, cold weather for Thanksgiving in Maryland

Published

19 hours ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

Strong winds Wednesday evening, cold weather for Thanksgiving in Maryland

Central and Eastern Maryland will experience unseasonably mild weather Wednesday afternoon, with highs in the mid-60s to near 70°.

A strong cold front will bring a broken line of sprinkles and gusty showers to the area between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Measurable rainfall isn’t likely with the front, but a drastic temperature drop and gusty winds will be quite dramatic mid to late this evening.

Arctic blast Wednesday in Maryland

Early morning low clouds and fog are lifting across central and eastern Maryland. Skies will continue to be partially clear now through mid-afternoon. This will allow temperatures to climb into the upper 60s to near 70°. Expect a breeze out of the west-southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

A broken line of sprinkles and showers will cross the area between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. These sprinkles and showers will last anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. Strong gusty winds will follow this batch of showers, which will help bring much colder air down into the area late tonight.

Overnight lows will fall into the upper 30s, but gusty winds will continue to impact the region overnight with wind-chills down to around 30°.

Cold weather during Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Gusty, cold winds will be the big story across Maryland on Thanksgiving Day. Temperatures will drop into the upper 30s on Thanksgiving Day morning, with wind-chills even colder – a stark contrast from Wednesday afternoon.

Thanksgiving Day looks cold for the entire day with partly sunny weather. Highs will only top out in the mid-40s with gusty winds out of the west-northwest at 15 to 20 mph. Wind-chills will not reach any higher than the mid to upper 30s.

The Ravens game Thanksgiving evening will feature January-like cold with temperatures in the lower 30s with numbing wind gusts and wind-chills in the 20s.

The cold and breeziness continues on Black Friday: Friday morning wind chills for some will dip into the teens and 20s. Even with sunshine in the forecast Friday, temperatures in some neighborhoods may not reach 40°.

Rain returns to Maryland Sunday

The final weekend of November starts quiet but may end on a wet note. Temperatures both days will max out in the 40s.

Saturday looks brisk, bright and chilly with highs in the lower 40s. Clouds increase late Saturday into Sunday morning. Sunday also brings the chance of some rain back to Maryland, especially later in the day. We’ve tagged Sunday as a possible First Alert Weather Day for Sunday given that it’s another high-impact travel day across Maryland as people return from the Thanksgiving holiday.

Winter weather possible early next week

While Monday looks nice and quiet with a partly to mostly cloudy sky, the weather could get interesting Monday night into next Tuesday as a wave of low pressure moves in our direction from the southwest.

The track and strength of this area of low pressure will be critical in determining how much rain, ice, and/or snow will be possible across central and eastern Maryland. Right now, computer models disagree with the exact track; therefore, a wide variety of outcomes are possible.

At this time, the chance of winter weather is great enough that the WJZ First Alert Weather Team has tagged Tuesday as a possible First Alert Weather Day. Please check back with our team through the holiday weekend as details about the storm and its possible impacts become clearer.

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Maryland

Olympic Gold medalist Quincy Wilson commits to University of Maryland Track & Field Program

Published

2 days ago

November 25, 2025

Press Room

Olympic Gold medalist Quincy Wilson commits to University of Maryland Track & Field Program

Olympic Gold medalist and Maryland native Quincy Wilson has committed to the University of Maryland’s Track and Field Program, Head Coach Andrew Valmon announced Monday.

Wilson chose Maryland over South Carolina, Southern California, Texas A&M and UCLA, according to Coach Valmon.

“Quincy is a generational athlete who has the upside to continue to thrive at the top of our sport,” Valmon said in a statement. “His support system here at Maryland, in his home state, is unmatched. I am excited to get to work on this next phase of his journey.”

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Wilson became the youngest American male to be part of the Olympic track team at 16 years old.

He was a rising junior at Bullis School in Potomac when he competed in last year’s Olympics. He was also named the USATF Athlete of the Year in 2024 after becoming one of the most well-known track and field athletes in the U.S.

Wilson worked alongside Terps Assistant Throws Coach Rudy Winkler and Maryland Associate Head Coach Danielle Siebert during the Paris Olympics. Former Olympian and record-holder Coach Valmon hopes to provide strong experience and mentorship to Wilson.

“Though Maryland has produced several Olympians throughout the program’s track and field history and has several current and former Olympians and U.S. Track & Field Olympic staff, Wilson is the first-ever Olympic competitor to sign with the Terps,” UMD said in a statement.

Quincy Wilson’s Track and Field career

Wilson had his breakout year in 2023, according to Coach Valmon. He claimed the New Balance Nationals indoor 400-meter title with 46.67 seconds and won second place at the New Balance Nationals outdoor 400 meters.

In 2023, Wilson also made history as one of the youngest U.S. athletes to sign a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) contract with a major sports brand.

He completed the 2025 outdoor season tied for seventh fastest in the world.

Wilson began competing nationally in 2022, winning his fifth AAU Junior Olympic Games title and coming in second place in the 200-meter final.

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Maryland

Autopsy report in Maryland prosecutor Jonathan Luna’s 2003 death may soon be released

Published

2 days ago

November 24, 2025

Press Room

Autopsy report in Maryland prosecutor Jonathan Luna’s 2003 death may soon be released

The autopsy report in the cold case surrounding the 2003 death of Baltimore prosecutor Jonathan Luna could soon be unsealed.

The Lancaster, Pennsylvania, District Attorney told WJZ that those coroner’s records should be released, which will be decided by the court.

Luna’s body was found in a creek in Lancaster County with nearly 40 stab wounds. The coroner ruled his death a homicide, but the report was never released.

In the decades since, police have not identified a suspect or suspects.

“In the years following the initial hearing in 2020, the investigation into the death of Jonathan Luna was handed over to a new team of investigators at the Pennsylvania State Police who undertook a thorough reexamination and reevaluation of the case, in close consultation with the District Attorney’s Office,” the Lancaster District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “Based on this reexamination and reevaluation and based on the new approach that we are taking with this very unique case, we now believe that the Coroner’s records can be unsealed without substantially hindering the investigation into Mr. Luna’s death.”

Luna’s unsolved death

Luna, who was a 38-year-old assistant U.S. attorney in Baltimore, was found lying face down in a creek, wearing a suit and a tie, in Lancaster County around 5 a.m. on December 4, 2003, according to the Washington Post.

The coroner’s office at the time determined that Luna had died from stab wounds and drowning. His death was determined to be a homicide. Officials said more than half of the stab wounds were to his neck.

According to a story by the Washington Post, Luna reported leaving his Baltimore office at 11:38 p.m. and heading north on Interstate 95, away from his home.

His car passed through several toll booths in Maryland and Delaware before stopping at an ATM in Newark, Delaware, according to the Post. His debit card was reported used at a Sunoco gas station in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, around 3:20 a.m.

Police said Luna’s car was parked at the back of a well-drilling company in Denver, Pennsylvania, before it was driven into the creek.

To this date, his case remains unsolved.

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