A frightening moment took place at the new Milwaukee Public Museum’s topping-off ceremony on July 15.
Attendees of the event watched as a tower crane lifted the final steel beam for the vertical structure of MPM’s new museum. Just as it hovered over the top of the building, the beam slipped out of the crane’s harness.
Video of the incident from WISN 12 News shows a construction worker standing near the beam as it fell. Onlookers gasped and seemed confused about what had happened.
The Mortenson construction company has been working on the building since groundbreaking last year. A spokesperson for the museum said that everyone is okay and the beam was successfully installed. Cameron Snyder, the director of communications at Mortenson, said the same thing after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out for comment.
The beam fell about 10 feet, near the area where it was supposed to go. It was put into the correct position shortly after, a MPM spokesperson said.
Construction activity was underway at the site on July 16.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contacted media representatives of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, who didn’t immediately respond about whether the incident is being investigated.
This story was updated with additional information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Beam tumbles during Nature and Culture Museum’s topping off ceremony. No injuries, damage.
Reporting by Sofia Joseph, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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