A St. Michael contracting company has been fined after a man died in a construction accident last September at the site of the new St. Paul Saints baseball stadium.
Johnny Valek, 61, was killed when a section of concrete collapsed onto the cab of a backhoe he was operating in September 2013.
An investigation by the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found three serious violations – including failing to continually make inspections of the site during the demolition process.
Rachel Contracting have been fined $52,000 as a consequence of the findings.
The federal OSHA also stated that the company violated standards related to the safe cutting and removal of load-bearing parts of the building.
Rachel Construction continued work on the site for over a week following Mr Valek’s death.
The accident happened at the site of the former Gillette building at East Fifth Street and Broadway, which was being demolished to clear the site for the new Lowertown Ballpark.
