A worker at the Mount Nittany Medical Center patient tower construction site was seriously injured on Wednesday after falling “from a significant height,” according to State College police.
The 31-year old man was climbing a ladder when he fell, a police spokesperson said. He was discovered unconscious at 4:25 p.m., which a review of surveillance video determined was about 30 minutes after the fall.
Police did not have details on his specific injuries but described them as “life-threatening.” After being taken into Mount Nittany’s emergency department, he was flown to the trauma center at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
His current condition was not available at the time of this writing.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident and has up to six months to complete the process, a Department of Labor spokesperson said. The man was working for contractor Alliance Exterior Construction, according to the spokesperson.
A Mount Nittany Health spokesperson called it a “tragic accident.”
“We extend our deepest thoughts to the worker and their family during this difficult time,” the spokesperson wrote. “We will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities as they conduct their investigation and review of the incident. The safety of everyone on our campus remains our highest priority, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety on this project and in all that we do.”
It is the second fall-related injury involving the same contractor at the Mount Nittany construction site in the last three months. A worker on the project was injured in late June, and OSHA’s investigation of that case remains open.
A local labor union leader called on Mount Nittany to work with contractors to address safety issues.
“We are disturbed that this worker’s fall comes after an OSHA investigation was already launched over the summer into Alliance Exterior Construction for fall safety,” Seven Mountains AFL-CIO President Connor Lewis said in a statement. “Injuries like this are rarely unavoidable tragedies. They are the result of identifiable problems that employers have an obligation to address. Worker safety has too frequently been an issue in Centre County, and we must do better for the workers that build our community through their skill and hard work.”
