DENVER -- A 32-year-old elevator employee was taken to the hospital in serious condition Tuesday after being impaled by a 30-inch long piece of rebar, according to a Denver Fire Department spokesperson.

7NEWS confirmed the worker, who received a chest injury, is employed by Otis Elevator Co.

The accident happened at a residential high-rise currently under construction near 20th Avenue and Lincoln Street in Denver.

The man was working at the bottom of an elevator shaft when another employee apparently kicked the metal rebar into the shaft from 200 feet above, according to Phil Champagne from the Denver Fire Department.

The incident remains under investigation, according to officials with Swinerton Builders.

Operations Manager Dave Wermerskirchen told 7NEWS the employee underwent surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.

Wermerskirchen said all safeguards were in place when the accident happened, including safety rails and toe boards .

“It’s a bit of a mystery to us,” Wermkerskirchen said.

A spokeswoman for Otis Elevator said the employee’s name would not be released.

Privacy laws prevent hospitals from providing patient conditions without a name so the man's condition could not be determined.

The accident happened at 2001 Lincoln around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The 32-story building, known as One Lincoln Park, is a condominium high-rise expected to open later this year.

No one else was injured and the accident did not halt construction. Around 200 employees are on site at any given time, according to Wermerskirchen.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the workplace accident.