Two workers were injured Tuesday morning when they fell nearly 20 feet off of scaffolding at a construction site in Sarpy County.
The two men were both wearing safety harnesses, but one worker hit the ground.
Jared Kirkendall, 27, of Auburn, Neb., was flown to the Nebraska Medical Center with head injuries after his safety harness failed to stop his 17-foot fall, said Sarpy County Sheriff’s Capt. Monty Daganaar.
John Meyers, 44, of Council Bluffs, was taken by ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center with chest and rib injuries after his harness pulled him up short of the ground, Daganaar said.
By Tuesday afternoon, both were listed in fair condition.
The accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. at Omaha’s wastewater treatment facility in Papillion, 15707 Harlan Lewis Road, south of Offutt Air Force Base and north of Plattsmouth.
Daganaar said the men fell from scaffolding while doing welding work inside the building on the roof of a tank at the facility.
Both men work for John T. Jones Construction Co., which was operating under a contract with the City of Omaha, according to Aida Amoura, spokeswoman for the Omaha mayor’s office.
Authorities are investigating why the men fell and why Kirkendall’s harness did not stop him.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was contacted regarding the fall, Daganaar said.
Via: www.omaha.com
