SWAMPSCOTT - Three construction workers were rushed to area hospitals yesterday after the scaffolding they were standing on collapsed and sent them plunging two stories to the ground.
The men were roofing a new house at 41 Buena Vista St., where a bracket supporting their scaffolding planks apparently punched through a wall. The scaffolding collapsed at 9:20 a.m.
Swampscott police Chief Ronald Madigan said the bracket seemed to be attached only to the exterior wall of the house without a structural stud on the inside that would support the workers' weight.
"An improperly placed support seemed to be the cause," Madigan said.
Officials with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration are investigating the collapse, spokesman John Chavez said. The federal investigation could take up to six months.
Madigan said the workers injured in the accident were Kevin Kuppim, 40, of Beverly; John Goslin, 32, of Gloucester; and Tim Shennett, 25, of Exeter, N.H. Goslin was listed in fair condition in the operating room at Massachusetts General Hospital. Shennett was transferred from Salem Hospital yesterday afternoon. It wasn't clear yesterday what Kuppim's or Shennett's conditions were, or which hospitals were helping them.
Chavez said the roofing company was A.F. Construction. Antonio Franco, who heads the Swampscott company, did not return a phone call seeking comment yesterday.
Swampscott fire Capt. John Quinn said that one of the men reportedly was knocked out in the fall, but all were conscious when firefighters arrived. Quinn said he didn't know if any of the scaffolding had hit the workers when it fell.
The 2,500-square-foot home is being built on a hill off a long driveway, one of several new homes on the plateau. Swampscott records show the construction work is valued at $275,000 and will include a two-story home, unfinished basement and two-car garage.
No workers were at the job site yesterday afternoon. The house had a wooden roof, and much of the building was already covered in house wrap. A neighbor said construction had started about five weeks earlier.
The building permit was taken out by Michael Faia, who described himself as the homeowner and said he would work on the house himself. A truck from W. Faia General Contractors was parked outside the construction site. Messages left with the company and the homeowner were not returned yesterday.
Alan Hezekiah, Swampscott's building inspector, said the wall construction where the scaffolding collapsed seemed to be made of standard seven-sixteenths-inch OSB, a composite-wood board. Such collapses would happen if there was too much weight on the scaffolding for the side of the home to support.
Chavez said OSHA places its emphasis on prevention and will investigate to see why the accident occurred and whether federal rules were violated.
"Falls are unfortunately common construction-site accidents," Chavez said.
Yesterday's accident was at least the third major construction accident in the region in recent months.
On Sept. 28, Ismail Pablo of Lynn hit his head when he fell three stories onto concrete. He was helping replace a third-floor condominium deck at 346-348 Rantoul St. in Beverly. He was listed in good condition in the hospital later that day.
Benedelso Ovalle, 21, of Lynn was killed Aug. 31 when he reportedly fell about 24 feet from a roof. Salem police said Ovalle was putting a roof on the new home of First Baptist Church of Salem at 292 Lafayette St. Ovalle died before a helicopter ambulance could pick him up.
Chavez said both of those accidents remain under investigation by OSHA.
