January 20 – A British worker has lost his life working on Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar which will host the group matches and a quarter final at the 2022 World Cup.
Located in the centre of Qatar’s Aspire Zone, the stadium is the oldest in the country having been built in 1976. It is currently being redeveloped into a 40,000-seat arena.
There is currently little detail of how the tragedy occurred, but the British worker was believed to be a (project engineer, welder….) who fell from scaffolding. (was he working with tools or was he a project engineer inspecting?)
Qatar has worked hard on improving work and safety conditions at its stadium construction and only three days ago hosting a media delegation from Germany who were in the country with Bayern Munich. The delegation were shown construction sites and discussed worker welfare issues.
While there are currently few details of the tragedy, the site contractors are Belgian construction company BESIX who have worked on a number of infrastructure projects previously in Qatar. They would have signed up to the workers safety charter before allowing their staff on site.
The Khalifa Stadium makeover will see the western side of the stadium remain intact but the eastern side rebuilt to reflect the western side. A new arched roof will be added over part of the eastern side.
The Qatar 2022 authorities have issued a statement saying that an investigation into the fatality is already under way.
“Earlier today, a 40-year-old British male lost his life working on Khalifa International Stadium. The relevant authorities have been notified and the next of kin has been informed. An immediate investigation into the cause of this fatality is underway and further details will be released in due course,” said the statement.
“The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy shares our deepest condolences with the family for their loss.”
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