MIAMI (WSVN) - An investigation has been launched to figure out what went wrong during a construction project that left six workers injured at a Brickell building site.
On Thursday, the City of Miami’s building department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed they have investigators assigned to the incident.
City of Miami Police and Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene at Brickell Plaza, near South Miami Avenue and Eighth Street at around 11:30 a.m., Wednesday.
According to City of Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez, the incident was caused by a malfunction of construction equipment being taken up to a construction site floor.
“We were told that a bundle of rebar was being transferred from the ground floor level up to a construction site level, and there was some type of malfunction, which caused the bundle to fall onto six construction site workers,” he said.
Three workers were trapped, and by the time rescue crews arrived, one of the workers had freed themselves. Sanchez said two additional workers were impaled by rebar and needed to be freed.
“We were able to use our tools to let them free and then we transferred onto a stokes basket, and they were transferred onto the ground level behind me with units standing by to transport them,” Sanchez said.
Officials said a total of six victims were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with different injuries, including wounds to the head, shoulder, chest and leg. Their conditions range from serious to critical.
“This should not be happening at a construction site, especially in such a busy area,” resident Fabio Lopez said.
Less than 24 hours later, 7News cameras captured workers with safety gear on, others tying up caution tape and inspecting equipment at the site from top to bottom.
It remains unclear if these workers were investigators with OSHA.
Richard Quincoces, who’s with the ALF-CIO workers union LIUNA , said he believes the incident might have stemmed from a lack of proper training.
“You had exactly a heavy load of rods coming down on people. That should’ve been avoided. That area should’ve been cleared,” he said.
Civic Construction Companies released a statement reading in part, “The safety of our workers and contractors has always been our highest priority, and we are currently cooperating with the City of Miami building department and OSHA in an internal investigation to determine the cause.”
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