Conditions at the much-beleaguered solid waste division of the Baltimore Department of Public Works are beginning to improve after myriad problems were brought to light last summer and an employee’s on-the-job death led to widespread outrage.

A new report from Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming’s office published Wednesday went into great detail about the operations at the city’s trash and recycling collection facilities. Cumming issued scathing reports last year that first called attention to awful jobsite conditions and a culture of fear within the solid waste division.

Issues included things like locker rooms without air conditioning or working water fountains during periods of extreme heat; bathrooms with sink fixtures that had been broken for months; garbage trucks with no working air conditioning or dashboard lights. At one facility, Bowley’s Lane, workers had to ask a supervisor for toilet paper every time they wished to use the bathroom because the supervisor there kept it locked in a supply closet.

Water and Gatorade were not made available to employees on extremely hot days, either.

City Council President Zeke Cohen would later call these conditions “cruel,” “inhumane” and “bizarre.” Councilwoman Odette Ramos said it was “bananas” how, at one location, water and Gatorade were kept locked up on hot days.

It all came to a head when Ronald Silver II, a sanitation worker, suffered heat stroke and died while on his trash route in early August. He was asking for water.

Largely a follow-up to those earlier reports, Cumming’s newest investigation found that the city has made some progress in reforming the DPW.

Facilities have been repaired and new garbage trucks have been put into service. An anonymous tip line for workers to make complaints has been established, and there are signs in locker rooms with the number posted.

But there is more work to be done, according to Cumming. Staff retention is difficult due to low wages, she wrote, and there are not enough training sessions for new employees. Safety training and policies have also lacked; Mayor Brandon Scott’s office ordered a review of policies last year, which included implementing rules around working in extreme heat.

Acknowledging concerns, Scott has repeatedly said improving conditions at DPW is a priority of his. The mayor has directed funds to rebuild facilities at sanitation yards and told DPW Director Khalil Zaied to hold toxic supervisors accountable.

Scott said Wednesday that more work remains to be done, but he was pleased with the city’s progress on the issues highlighted in the report, particularly because many of them are long-standing institutional problems.

“We have a long, long, long way to go, but we’re investing in people not just from a financial standpoint, not just buildings and vehicles and equipment, but also the human element.”

A news release issued by the DPW following the report outlined improvements that have been made including the development of a proposed heat illness prevention plan and other standard operating procedures for extreme outdoor elements. New training has been introduced on workplace safety and leadership, officials said.

Zaied said in the news release that the department has been making more of an effort to communicate with frontline workers. Employees were surveyed about their personal protective equipment and almost 77% of workers surveyed reported having no issues.

Zaied said employees were also surveyed about the more than 600 heated jackets that were distributed to DPW staff, a more than $82,000 purchase noted in the inspector general’s report. The report said a staffer complained that the batteries in the jackets only lasted for two hours.

More than half of employees surveyed had positive feedback about the jackets, he said.