Stadium work resumes after fatal fall; Roofing company cited 9 times in past 5 years
Published 8:02 am Thursday, August 27, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS — Work on U.S. Bank Stadium resumed Thursday in Minneapolis after a fatal accident halted construction on Wednesday.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working with Mortenson Construction, the project’s lead contractor, to investigate the cause of the accident, which killed one worker and injured another, according to a statement issued Thursday morning by Mortenson.
The worker who died fell about 50 feet from the edge of the new Vikings stadium’s roof into a snow gutter on the north side of the building, said John Wood, a senior vice president with Mortenson. The other man was injured on the roof but did not fall from it.
The second worker was injured when he fell into a crevice on the stadium roof and was trapped, according to the Minneapolis Fire Department. The trapped worker was in serious condition after being rescued by fire crews with a rescue basket, ropes and cables.
Mortenson is also cooperating with an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said John Wood, senior vice president of Mortenson.
“The priority is to ensure we know exactly what happened and ensure it never happens again,” he said.
It is unclear if the men were wearing safety harnesses or if harnesses were required, Wood said.
The identities of the workers, who were from Berwald Roofing of North St. Paul, have not yet been released.
Berwald was given serious citations nine times in the past five years, all during routine inspections. Six were for lack of fall protection, according to data provided by the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Most recently, last August the company was fined $1,050 for not protecting employees who were on scaffolds more than 10 feet above a lower level. The employees should have worn safety harnesses or had guardrails on the platform they were working on, according to OSHA.
A person who answered the phone at Berwald Roofing on Wednesday said the company would not be releasing a statement but that the owner might be willing to talk on Thursday.
