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Supervisor Yee calls for hearing on city vetting of contractor safety after fatal tunnel accident
Summary
Supervisor Norman Yee asked the Board to hold a hearing into how city agencies vet contractor safety records after a fatality on a Twin Peaks tunnel construction project, and requested a citywide review of prequalification and safety checks for bidders.
Supervisor Norman Yee called for a hearing on Sept. 4 to examine the city's vetting process for contractor safety records after the death of a worker, Patrick Ricketts, who was killed when a steel beam fell during a Twin Peaks tunnel construction project.
"No one should have to suffer the pain of losing a loved one due to a death working on a city contract," Yee said, and said media reports indicated that the Oakland‑based subcontractor, Cimit Construction, had a prior history of workplace and safety violations including a separate fatality. Yee said documents obtained by the media showed the contractor answered prequalification questions in the affirmative when asked whether any partner had been cited for serious or willful safety violations by Cal/OSHA in the past 10 years.
Yee said the SFMTA had represented the contractor met prequalification requirements, and that the tunnel work was complete while an investigation would continue over an estimated 4–6 month period. "As a city, we must make every effort to fully vet our contractors and ensure that we are only contracting with companies that are forthright about their safety record and prioritize the safety of our workers and our community partners," Yee said. (Transcript excerpts.)
A colleague asked to be added as a cosponsor to Yee's hearing request; Yee agreed. The transcript records the item as a hearing request and a cosponsorship request; no formal vote was recorded on the floor at Sept. 4, and the matter was submitted as a hearing request for committee consideration. Yee said the hearing would examine prequalification across all city agencies, not only SFMTA, and investigate whether the city maintains a unified vetting process for contractor safety.
Why it matters: The hearing request follows a construction‑site fatality and, if scheduled, would examine city contracting practices that affect worker safety on public projects across multiple departments.
What’s next: The request was entered during new business/roll call; the clerk recorded the submission and a colleague's request to cosponsor. The board did not take an immediate roll‑call vote on the matter in the Sept. 4 session; next steps would be scheduling the hearing in committee and notifying relevant agencies.
