Pump malfunction caused wet cement to fall from building, official says

5:45 p.m. update: A pump used to pour wet cement malfunctioned on the 16th floor of a downtown construction site Tuesday evening, causing some of the material to fall and hit a man sitting at a nearby restaurant, an official said.

Joe Garza, the regional safety manager with DPR Construction, said that workers were using a pump to pour the wet cement into a column when pressure built up, causing it to overflow and fall. He said the company is still investigating the incident, but that it is considering putting up more nets on the construction site and to coordinate times for when workers pour wet cement so they have a spotter in place downstairs to prevent such an incident from happening again.

Police said Tuesday night that the man was sitting at the Market, 319 Colorado St., when the incident happened.

Earlier: A man who was hit by wet cement Tuesday evening had been sitting at a nearby restaurant, officials said.

The incident occurred about 6:40 p.m. near the site where the Colorado Tower is being built at 303 Colorado St. The man was taken to a hospital with bleeding to the head, but his injuries were described as minor, an official with Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services said.

Construction is being performed on the mixed retail/office space by DPR Construction. Workers had been pouring cement into a column when some fell onto the man, an official said.

Were in the process of investigating it, said Joe Garza, regional safety manager with DPR Construction.

Further details were not immediately available.

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Pump malfunction caused wet cement to fall from building, official says