K.C. Lift Tips, Killing Worker

One steel erector died and another injured when a boom lift tipped over in the early afternoon of Nov. 10 at the $405-million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, under construction in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Employed by Midwest Steel, a subcontractor to locally based general contractor J.E. Dunn Construction Co., the workers were elevating the boom from the basket when the machine tipped, according to Darin Snapp, a spokesman for the Kansas City, Mo., Police Dept. The workers fell approximately 100 ft. Both were ejected from the platform and landed on the street. According to first responders, the machine was working on level ground. Officials with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.