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Worker injured in fall from scaffolding

The Friday morning tumble from 40 feet up sent the man to a hospital. His name was not immediately released.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published August 20, 2005

CLEARWATER - A construction worker was seriously injured Friday morning when he fell 40 feet from scaffolding and landed on a pool deck at an Island Way condo, authorities said.

The worker's employer, Sunbelt Rentals Scaffold Services, declined to identify the man or release any details about his fall. The man was taken by helicopter to St. Petersburg's Bayfront Medical Center, where he was being treated.

Paramedics were called to a 610 Island Way condominium at 9:30 a.m. and found the worker on the concrete deck. He had apparently suffered several bone fractures but was conscious, fire officials said.

Sunbelt, a subcontractor, had erected the scaffolding so workers could repair damage on the outside of condos that was sustained during last year's hurricane season, said John Humerick, a supervisor for the general contractor, J&J Builders & Developers Inc.

The unidentified worker had been taking some scaffolding down, and when he tried to move to a lower level, he apparently unsnapped his harness and fell, Humerick said. "We still don't have all the details," he said.

Joe Esposito of J&J Builders said Sunbelt stresses safety with its employees, making sure they are all wearing hard hats and harnesses. "I know Sunbelt is really pretty strict," he said.

Sunbelt's safety manager in Tampa, Shelby Graham, would not comment on the fall Friday, saying the incident was under investigation. He said the man's family had not yet been reached.

"I can say he is alive and well," Graham said of the injured worker.

According to the company's Web site, Sunbelt was founded in 1983 and headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. Since then, the company has grown to more than 200 locations, making it the nation's fourth-largest rental company, the Web site said.

The federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration could not be reached Friday.

[Last modified August 20, 2005, 01:26:05]