Six workers were injured when high winds reportedly tore off roof sections of an industrial warehouse in East Taunton, Mass.
Four men were standing on the rooftop and slid 30 feet to the ground. Two other workers were standing on a floor below when the accident occurred, according to boston.com.
Taunton Police Chief Raymond O’Berg said workers were replacing the roof of the warehouse when it collapsed, according to The Taunton Daily Gazette.
Under construction by Advantage Construction of Quincy, Mass., the warehouse was to be 175 feet by 300 feet with a 45-foot high roof. The building is part of an industrial park near the Silver City Galleria shopping center. Some roof sections that caved in were 150’ by 80,’ said the Gazette.
Although Advantage is the site contractor, work crews at the site are employed by Ajax Construction of Burrillville, R.I. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ajax paid $5,500 in fines -- including $2,500 for failing to guard against employee falls -- in the last five years.
Steel roof panels could be seen lying at a 45-degre angle inside the frame. The State Department of Public Safety and OSHA are investigating the accident.
Charlie Kane, a safety consultant from Risk Management, Inc. of Concord N.H. who was on site the last four weeks, said the injured were ironworkers, according to The Enterprise of South Boston.
”I heard a drastic sound,” Kane said. “At first I thought it was an airplane crash. Other eyewitnesses heard a “thundering” sound and saw construction workers slide off the roof upon collapse, said the Gazette.
The cause of the accident still has not been determined. The site has been plagued by windy conditions. Kane said the project he was working on at the west end of the building was canceled earlier in the week due to high winds.
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