CHERRYVILLE, N.C. — Eight people were hurt when scaffolding collapsed on Monday at a North Carolina High School.
State workers returned to the mound in Marion that was once a towering scaffold.
They are trying to determine what caused it to collapse, dropping seven workers from Beam Construction in Cherrryville and one subcontractor for the company.
Three were still in the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon.
The emergency medical services director said by phone that some of the workers were able to grab a wall built as part of an addition to McDowell High School.
"One patient was suspended on part of the scaffolding for over an hour," said William Kehler.
The condition and names of those injured workers have not been released, but the president of the company said she visited their families Tuesday morning.
"The thing I tell our employees is I want them to go home every day the same way they came," said Susie Lewis.
She said the company called state occupational health workers to tell them about the collapse.
"We are very serious about the safety issues and about our employees," said Lewis.
Eyewitness News reviewed the company's inspection history as documented by .the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Eyewitness News found multiple violations in 2008 and 2009 during jobs in Charlotte and Stallings.
All of them were related to the use of scaffolds.
Fines were levied, but most were dismissed. None of those cases involved as many injuries as this week's.
"We have also had OSHA visits in the last several years where they have found no violations," Lewis said.
An OSHA official said it will take roughly four months to complete an investigation like this, to determine what caused the collapse and who if anyone may be to blame.
WSOC
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