1 killed, 1 hurt in accident at job site
Men fell 30 feet after lift collapsed
WALTHAM - A 40-year-old worker died yesterday when a hydraulic lift fell at the construction site of a new lab on the campus of
Another man, a 30-year-old construction worker, was seriously injured and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Police would not identify either worker until all relatives had been notified. They said the older man died at the scene and the younger man sustained life-threatening injuries.
Detective Lieutenant Brian Navin of the Waltham Police Department said the accident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. when a lift carrying the men began to tip. The men, who were in a basket attached to the lift, plunged about 30 feet as the lift collapsed.
"It somehow became unstable," he said.
Navin said authorities are investigating the accident.
Scott Young, a spokesman for AstraZeneca, said the men were installing aluminum panels on the side of the lab under construction. AstraZeneca conducts research on cancer and infectious diseases.
In a statement, the company said "our condolences and prayers are with the workers and their families."
Young said the construction project started in 2007 and was slated to be completed in the middle of 2009. He said the men worked for Lymo Construction Co., a subcontractor based in New Hampshire. The company said the safety record on the project was "excellent."
John Hennessy, the site manager for the Waltham campus, said there was one previous accident during construction involving a worker injuring his knee.
Officials at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said they are investigating yesterday's fatal accident.
John Chavez, an OSHA spokesman in Boston, said Lymo was cited in August 2005 for the lowest violation. The company was fined $1,050 for lacking sufficient fall protection at a project in Pembroke.
The company had been previously cited for minor violations at a project at the airport in Bangor, Maine, but the firm successfully contested those citations, Chavez said. 