West County Energy Center Construction Worker Killed on the Job

Palm Beach Post reported:

A 61-year-old construction worker building FPL's WCEC power plant in western Palm Beach County was killed on June 27 after a pipe fell on him.

The 24-inch-wide pipe fell on the man while he was working on a scaffolding about 20 feet high, said county Fire-Rescue Capt. Don DeLucia. FPL employees used a crane to lower the worker to the ground, on a stretcher. But the man, whose name has not been released, was dead by the time rescuers arrived, DeLucia said.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Sgt. Pete Palenzuela said the sheriff's office was investigating, standard procedure for all industrial accidents resulting in deaths in the county.

The man, was an employee of the Zachary Construction Company, a contractor hired to help build the West County Energy Center, said FPL spokeswoman Heather Kirkendall. The natural gas-burning plant is rising off Southern Boulevard, west of Loxahatchee.

"Our thoughts go out to the family of the Zachary Construction Company worker," FPL spokeswoman Kirkendall said. "An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the accident. At FPL the safety of our employees and our contractors is our number one priority."

Kirkendall said that constructions workers were sent home for the day, but she did not know if construction would be put on hold during the investigation.