Wolfspeed halts construction after worker is injured at company’s Durham headquarters
Construction was stopped at Wolfspeed’s headquarters in Durham after a contractor was injured Monday morning.
The individual is receiving medical treatment, company spokesperson Melinda Walker said, though the extent of the injury is not yet known. On Tuesday, the N.C. Department of Labor said the worker had been hospitalized.
“Construction has been halted campus-wide, and the contractor has initiated their investigation into the incident,” Walker said on Monday. “We will share more information as it becomes available.”
Wolfspeed makes semiconducting materials and chips. The company has roughly 2,500 employees in the area and is building a new manufacturing plant near Siler City. Its headquarters is on the Durham County side of Research Triangle Park. While construction was paused, overall production at the facility continued Monday.
The labor department “is aware of this incident and has sent individuals to the site,” department spokesperson Meredith Watson said on Monday. On Tuesday, the department shared it has opened an investigation into Southern Industrial Constructors Inc., which employed the injured worker.
In October, a workplace accident at Wolfspeed’s headquarters killed an employee named Vincent Farrell. The state eventually cited the company for two safety violations in relation to the incident, and Wolfspeed told state officials it has since made several adjustments to its safety protocols.
This story was originally published July 17, 2023 at 3:50 PM.
