Worker Killed in Fall Off Scaffold

A construction worker fell 80 feet to his death and another man briefly dangled in the air Wednesday after scaffolding gave way inside the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, officials said.

Both men were wearing safety harnesses, said Costa Mesa Fire Battalion Chief Keith Fujimoto.

The accident occurred inside the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which is under construction as part of the arts center’s expansion.

The victim was identified only as a 48-year-old Los Angeles man. He was taken by paramedics to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana where he died, Fujimoto said.

The other unidentified worker fell about 20 feet and was dangling in the air before co-workers used straps and ropes to lower him, Fujimoto said.

He was taken to Coastal Communities Hospital with minor injuries.

The men, employees of Aluma Systems, were on a crew of four installing scaffolding in the ceiling, said Dean Fryer, spokesman for the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health, which investigates workplace injuries.

Fryer said the investigation would focus on how well the workers were trained to operate the scaffolding and safety equipment.

The other crew members were working higher up, adjusting the bolts to hold the scaffolding level when the support cable loosened and the scaffolding slipped, Fryer said.

Construction on the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall began in 2004.

It is scheduled to open in September 2006 with a 500-seat theater and a 2,000-seat concert hall.

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Times staff writer Nicholas Shields contributed to this report.