Workers returned Aug. 24th to a portion of a New Mexico hospital construction site near where a fatal scaffold collapse occurred, says a spokeswoman for McCarthy Building Cos., the project's Phoenix-based construction manager.

Just before 1 p.m. on Aug. 18, a 21-ft-long section of the six-story scaffold collapsed at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., just north of Albuquerque, killing one worker and injuring seven.

The scaffolding had been erected by a subcontractor and was being used for window work and other items, says Patty Johnson, the McCarthy spokeswoman.

She declined to name the deceased worker, the injured workers or the subcontractor that erected the scaffolding pending the outcome of investigations. It isn't clear who was the direct employer of the dead and injured workers.

“The families have asked for privacy, and we are not disclosing their names at this time,” says Johnson.

Serving as construction manager-at-risk, McCarthy began work on the $80-million project in May, 2014. The owner, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Albuquerque, is the state’s second largest private healthcare provider.

 A total of 238 workers were on site when the collapse occurred.

Five workers were taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where one died later that afternoon. One was treated onsite at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center, and two others were treated without being admitted.

Only one of the injured remained hospitalized as of Monday, Aug. 24, at the University of New Mexico Hospital.

The site was immediately closed pending an investigation by the New Mexico OSHA office, Santa Fe. No additional information will be shared until that investigation is completed, says a spokeswoman for OSHA’s New Mexico Environment Department.

“We continue to pray for his quick recovery and for the families and friends of everyone who was impacted by the accident,” said Bo Calbert, president of McCarthy Building Cos., Southwest, in a released statement.

“An incident like this is something that we have worked hard to avoid," he said, noting that McCarthy's incident rate is better than industry standards.