Baltimore DPW Adds 15-Minute Hourly Heat Breaks as Index Nears 105 After 2024 Worker Death
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 30
Baltimore DPW Adds 15-Minute Hourly Heat Breaks as Index Nears 105 After 2024 Worker Death
2 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 30
Summary
Baltimore DPW will require 15-minute breaks every hour, stock every truck with water and Gatorade, and verify air conditioning in trucks and facilities as extreme heat builds this week.
Heat index readings are expected to feel like 105 degrees from Wednesday through Saturday, triggering the department’s top-tier restrictions under its 80-, 90- and 100-degree heat plan.
Trash collection will start at 5 a.m. and recycling is suspended for the week to reduce time crews spend outdoors during the hottest hours.
Supervisor training was expanded after a sanitation worker died from heat-related illness on the job in 2024, with workers now sent to the hospital if any warning signs appear.
Baltimore also issued a voluntary water restriction, asking residents to conserve as the city prepares for the heat wave.