Oval deadline 'a risk to safety' SOUTH Australia's Labor government has been accused by unions of putting lives at risk by rushing a redevelopment of Adelaide Oval to meet a March state election deadline. The construction union warned the government's decision to pay the main contractor, Baulderstone, a $5 million bonus to meet the deadline might put workers' safety at risk. The government has denied the project is being rushed, but maintains it must be completed for the start of the AFL season. The Australian understands Premier Jay Weatherill is planning to officially open the Adelaide Oval redevelopment on February 14 on the eve of the caretaker period ahead of the next election. Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union state secretary Aaron Cartledge said the "crazy" work schedule was unprecedented anywhere in the world. "It's certainly not worth the price of one of our workers on that site getting killed," he said. Concern about the project follows an Industrial Court judgment in May into the death of a construction worker at the state government's $1.8 billion desalination plant. The court found 35-year-old steel rigger Brett Fritsch was killed as a result of the unsafe workplace practices of his employer, Ferro Con. A parliamentary inquiry in 2011 heard the desalination plant was rushed to meet a project deadline agreed to with the state government and the consortium had put "production over safety" as a result of project deadlines. Opposition frontbencher Iain Evans said if worker safety was at risk, then the Oval project should be slowed. "We cannot afford a repeat of the tragic circumstances that marred the construction of the desalination plant," he said.