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Construction accident at 49ers’ upcoming stadium a shock

On Behalf of | Apr 14, 2021 | Firm News

Last month, the construction site of the new San Francisco 49ers’ showed itself to be deadly after a mechanic was killed while working in an elevator shaft. The site is at the location of what will be the Levi Stadium, a $1.3 billion project set to open for the 2014 NFL season and to hose Super Bowl 50.

Following the construction accident, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, responsible for the enforcement of safety and health legislation, said the worker, a 63-year-old man, was hit by an elevator counterweight while standing on a ladder.

Cal-OSHA has not yet been able to determine what went wrong with the shaft, of which there are a total of 14 in the stadium. One of the project directors, though, said that workers had not been rushing or logging overtime on the stadium project, which is said to be about 40 percent finished and slightly ahead of the construction schedule.

In other words, there was nothing that would provide an obvious set of circumstances for such an accident. So far, the site has apparently been safe, with as many as 1,000 workers per day working at the site.

Schindler Elevator Corp., a subcontractor for the stadium’s general contractor, Turner-Devcon, as the deceased worker’s employer, could be cited and fined anywhere from $7,000 to $70,000, depending on the gravity of any violations found, but the investigation could take awhile–up to six months.

Construction accidents, when not fatal, can leave workers with serious injuries that last the rest of their lives. Receiving adequate compensation for the treatment of those injuries is critical for workers.

Source: CBS SF Bay Area, “Worker Killed At 49ers Santa Clara Stadium Construction Site,” June 11, 2013.