Workers at the Arena da Amazônia in the jungle city of Manaus are threatening to go on strike as they demand better conditions following yet another construction-related death at the venue.
A 55-year-old Portuguese man was killed on Friday while disassembling a crane that was used to install the stadium’s roof. The death marked the fourth at the venue thus far.
In March of 2013 a man died when he fell from scaffolding and hit his head. In December, another worker died after falling 35 meters from the stadium’s roof and, later that same day, a worker died of a heart attack while paving an area outside the venue.
The worker who died on Friday was Antonio Jose Pita Martins, who was working for the Portuguese company Martifer, a multinational focused in metal constructions.
Organisers said on Friday that the crane had already been removed from the venue’s main construction area and thus the accident would not interfere with the stadium’s construction.
Authorities, however, are investigating the accident and public prosecutors have said that if safety conditions at the site are not adequate they will halt construction.
“We have to guarantee the workers’ rights and their safety. Nobody will get in on Monday,” said union leader Cicero Custodio.
