Man Dies in Stadium Construction

A construction worker died during labour on San Francisco 49ers' new stadium, halting construction on Tuesday morning.

The catastrophe happened in an elevator shaft at the Santa Clara-based Levi's stadium, according to NBCBayArea.com.

It seems that the 63 year-old victim, Donald White, was killed by an elevator counterweight whilst working in an elevator shaft.

The death represents the first fatality or even significant injury the stadium construction site has observed since the project's establishment in April last year.

One thousand workers have been working at the site for nearly 12 months, and until now it has been extremely safe, explained Dan Beerman, city spokesman. But what he couldn't explain was how bad they felt for the family of the deceased employee.

First Fatality in Levi's Stadium Construction 

The 49ers also offered their condolences in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers affected by this tragedy," the statement said, adding "The 49ers family has lost a teammate today."

Once the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health has had an opportunity to survey the site, the stadium's construction will recommence.

But construction employees internationally have become progressively concerned about safety in the workplace. During the 2011/12 period in the UK, 2,000 construction workers suffered significant injuries and a further 49 were killed during work. When the sector was booming, six construction employees on average were killed each month.

But with the UK's Health and Safety Executive having its budget cut by 35 percent, unannounced inspections have ceased, potentially resulting in a slip in safety standards. Thereby, accidents will rise and workers will endure injuries.

One Death is Too Many, according to the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) and Unite, who urge the government to reverse its cuts and reinvest in safety.

Meanwhile, Chicago-based construction sites paused work yesterday to raise awareness among workers and employers about fall hazards in construction, which represent the leading cause of deaths on-site in the construction sector.

In 2011, 262 out of 738 total construction fatalities were a result of a fall, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Image Copyright Stanton49 (Courtesy Wikicommons).