A building under construction collapsed early Monday morning at Bryant University, injuring six workers. The workers were involved in building a 78,000-square foot Indoor Practice Facility near the Chase Athletic Center.
The indoor practice facility is part of a $75 million building expansion project at the university. A ceremonial groundbreaking had been conducted in May.
"They just started construction, were erecting steel, when something happened on site, the steel in place fell over," said Smithfield Fire Chief Robert Selzer, reports TurnTo10.
"Something went wrong. We don't know what it was," said Seltzer according to the Boston Globe.
"The steel which was being erected collapsed forward, resulting in at least six injuries. Thankfully, none of these appear to be life-threatening. No Bryant students or staff were near the site," said Elizabeth O'Neil, Bryant University assistant vice president of University Relations, in a statement, according to wmur.com.
The six men injured men were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, from where four have been released.
"A couple complained of back pain, couple leg injuries, nothing life-threatening. All were alert and conscious upon our arrival. It was reported two briefly lost consciousness for a few seconds," said Capt. Jonathan Polak of the Smithfield Fire Department.
The incident will be investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and two inspectors from the Providence office have reportedly surveyed the wreckage.
"The purpose of OSHA's inspection is to determine whether or not there were any violations of workplace safety standards in connection with this incident," OSHA spokesman Ted Fitzgerald said, according to the Boston Globe.
