Construction Worker Killed Identified; OSHA Investigating

The construction worker who died in Evanston Thursday morning after he was struck by a falling beam was a 57-year-old man from Dyer, IN, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Michael Kerr, of the 2400 block of Hart Street in Dyer, IN, was at work on a construction site at Northwestern University’s new Bienen School of Music around 7:15 a.m. Thursday when a crane knocked a beam off the sixth floor of the building, according to Evanston police. The beam struck him in his head and his chest, causing severe injuries. He was transported to the hospital, where he died, police said.

A spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy was scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Earlier: Construction Worker Killed By Falling Beam at Northwestern

A neighbor who knew Kerr said he enjoyed fishing and hoped to retire in Florida at the end of the year, according to the Northwest Indiana Times.

"He worked this job for so long and he was so close to retirement," she told the Northwest Indiana Times. "It feels so unfair."

The federal Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident, according to spokesperson Rhonda Burke. Burke said employers are required to notify OSHA when there has been a fatality in the workplace, and the agency almost always opens an investigation.

She said OSHA has up to six months to complete the investigation, although it could be finished sooner. If the agency determines there has been a violation, the company is required to correct any alleged hazards and may also face a monetary penalty.

“What the inspectors will look for is, were there safety or health violations,” she said. “They’re going to look at the crane operation, was the load secured property, were their proper warnings, were people trained not to walk under loads.”

According to data published on OSHA’s website, falls are the leading cause of death on construction sites, followed by electrocution and incidences where a worker was struck by an object.

In a statement, the university said the contractor working on the new, $1.08 million Bienen School of music is Power Construction Company, LLC, of Schaumburg. A spokesperson for the company was not immediately available for comment.