A worker with a contracted company fell 40 feet inside the Hill Street Water Tower in Siloam Springs.
The man was taken to Washington Regional in Fayetteville with serious injuries.
The man was a worker with Utility Service’s subcontractor, King’s Industrial Painting, Inc.
The crew had been hired to sandblast and paint the inside and outside of the water tower, according to Holland Hayden, the city’s communication director.
The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. Monday (Aug. 5), Hayden said. The worker was painting the inside of the water tower when he fell to the bottom of the bowl.
The Siloam Springs Fire Department responded, as well as an ambulance. The extent of the man’s injuries has not been released at this time.
“The city has visited with the site supervisor and he says the employee is doing as well as can be expected,” Hayden said.
Hayden says the cause of the accident is unclear, but the project site was immediately shut down. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will visit the site and investigate the incident, Hayden said.
The name of the employee has not been released.
"Since this matter is under investigation, we are not in a position to comment on the accident," said Shane Albritton, with Utility Service Inc.'s VP, Legal & Risk Management, in a statement Tuesday. "Utility Service’s thoughts and prayers are with the injured worker and his family and friends."