An American-Ghanian man who was performing building repairs has died, and investigations have been launched concerning his death.
On the Clinical Center site in Bethesda, Maryland, Awasi Addae, 45, a National Institutes of Health employee, was declared deceased following her fall through an air shaft.
An NIH representative verified that the man was an electrician employed by the organization and that he was working on the building’s exterior when the incident happened.
According to Montgomery Community Media, personnel from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue said that Mr. Addae went into an air handling shaft that led to a “underground vault.”
According to responders, Mr. Addae fell 20 to 30 feet, DCNewsNow reported. He looked to be standing or walking on the grate, according to officials, but they are not sure why.
The accident was reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration by the NIH Division of Occupational Health and Safety. According to an NIH spokesman, both sides will look into the occurrence to help identify the cause and make sure the proper safety precautions are implemented and enforced.
According to the spokeswoman, the NIH will also provide bereavement support to Mr. Addae’s coworkers and first responders.
