Baltimore inspector general report flags unsafe conditions at Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant
By Barry Simms
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) — A new inspector general’s report details poor working conditions at the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The inspector general’s office said it received a complaint from workers at 6 a.m. on July 1 referencing unsafe work conditions.
“The conditions were not good. The smell was not good,” Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Cumming told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates. “Their safety concerns were real.”
The bad odor emanated from what’s known as the Return 2 Building, an 85-year-old structure at the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant. It turned out to be a polymer, a chemical used at the facility for which extensive inhalation can cause fever and flu-like symptoms.
The OIG said it also found other problems that included broken fans and cracks in the floor, as well as cleaning station showers and an eyewash area that were not working.
“These workers are working with like fecal matter sludge, different types of chemicals, and that’s what they’re doing on a daily basis,” Cumming told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates. “Something as simple as being able to jump in a shower or wash off if something happens is critical to them.”
The workers claimed they had complained for a long time but could not get Department of Public Works officials to listen.
The inspector general said her office turned over its report to the mayor’s office and the city was out making repairs the next day.
“Next day. That’s good. Yeah, that’s good. That makes me happy because it is so important. So, I mean, as long as we keep trying to move forward and do better, then we’re doing our job,” Cumming told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.
The city said it is working on all of the issues found in the report, including the showers, and is relocating some of the workers to other areas where they can use bathrooms and take showers.
DPW leaders said they are committed to healthy and safe working conditions and will hold leaders accountable when that’s not the case.
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