Construction worker dies at 49ers stadium site
Posted on Oct 16, 2013 12:00am PDT
Construction workers often toil under greater danger than many other employees
-- the danger of falling materials, of live power lines or of a motor
vehicle accident is ever-present. Construction companies have a duty to
allay these dangers, however, and ensure that their workers remain safe.
Unfortunately, construction companies are not always successful in carrying
out this duty. Take, for instance, the 49ers stadium construction project,
which, for the second time since June, is reporting a fatal accident on
the worksite.
The accident occurred around daybreak, when a truck driver was suddenly
crushed by the load from his own vehicle. The man was hauling a shipment
of rebar to the site. Upon his arrival, he exited the truck; some of the
rebar then somehow fell upon him. He was taken to a local hospital, where
he was pronounced dead.
This is the second fatal incident for the $1.3 billion project. The first
one involved a veteran elevator mechanic who was struck by a descending
counterweight. The weight struck the 63-year-old man on the head, killing
him at the scene.
While some
construction accidents are the result of chance, or the product of an employee's bad judgment,
a large number of serious injuries in a short amount of time may cause
some observers to examine the construction company itself. Companies have
a duty to provide workers with the equipment, policies and knowledge they
need to stay safe on the job; failure to do this represents a serious
breach of the workers' rights.
Following this most recent accident, the construction site was shut down
for the day. A spokesman for the 49ers released a statement saying the
team wished to extend their thoughts and prayers to the family of the victim.
Source: KTVU-TV, "Second industrial death at new 49ers stadium worksite"
No Author Given, Oct. 14, 2013