A construction worker at a University of Arkansas job site was transported to a Fayetteville hospital Thursday morning after a section of support wall in an excavated work area hit him, University Police said.
The worker’s injuries didn’t immediately appear to be life- threatening, Lt. Gary Crain, police spokesman, said early Thursdayafternoon.
Danny Bennett, vice president for the man’s employer, Clark Contractors LLC of Little Rock, said Thursday evening that the man was released from the hospital after his X-ray and CAT-scan came back “clear.”
“So he’s at home right now,” said Bennett, who declined to release the employee’s name. “And we’re thankful that he’s OK.”
University Police officerswere called at 11:15 a.m. to the accident site at the Founders Hall construction project at Dickson Street and McIlroy Avenue, Crain said.
The worker had been pulled from the excavated site and loaded into an ambulance by 11:36 a.m.
The UA officials said they had few details by early afternoon. For instance, they hadn’t yet learned the man’s identity, nor whether he was an employee of Clark Contractors, the project’s general contractor, or worked for a subcontractor.
“Construction work is an inherently dangerous activity,” said Mike Johnson, UA’s associate vice chancellor for facilities, adding that the contractor has a good safety record.
The company has had no federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations in its 3 1/2 year his-tory, Bennett said.
“We are concerned with our people,” he said.
A form for a basement wall fell and struck the man, Bennett said, adding that the wood-and-metal piece used to form concrete was positioned likely no higher than 10 feet off the ground.
“It did knock him to the ground, but it did not pin him to the ground,” he said, adding that an accident report said the man was struck on the shoulder and possibly the head/neck area.
It was the site’s second accident in less than a week. Workers working on the future dormitory project cut an underground high-voltage line Monday morning, with no resulting injuries, but that accident temporarily cut power to about 30 campus buildings and disrupted some classes.
“I’m surprised and concerned,” Johnson said. “Any accident, whether it’s injury or noninjury, concerns us.”
Crain said that after the injured man was transported to Washington RegionalMedical Center in Fayetteville, a worker standing next to him when the accident happened said his shoulders were hurting. But after the emergency responders arrived and evaluated him, thesecond man declined to be taken to the hospital.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration always investigates worksiterelated injuries at UA, Crain said.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 09/28/2012