'It could've been any one of us' - Man falls five storeys down lift shaft

A man is in critical condition after falling about five storeys down a lift shaft at an Auckland supermarket construction site.

Emergency services are at the scene of the Countdown Cider Building development, on the corner of Pollen St and Williamson Ave in Ponsonby.

Fire Service spokesman Scott Osmond said the construction worker had fallen more than 15m down the lift shaft.

"He fell about five storeys. We assisted ambulance with extrication of the patient," Mr Osmond said.

A St John spokesman said ambulances were called to the scene at 10am.

The man was in a critical condition and was being transported to Auckland City Hospital's emergency department.

A man who worked across the road from the site, on Pollen St, said two ambulances and two police cars arrived at the scene at about 9.40am.

One of the workers on the site was not sure whereabouts the fall had happened.

But he said it was as safe as any other workplace he had laboured at.

"It could have been any one of us," another worker said. "It's horrible."

Staff from the site said they had been sent home for the day.

Three WorkSafe NZ investigators are at the scene.

A spokeswoman for Progressive Enterprises, the company Countdown is part of, provided a brief statement.

"We were very concerned to hear about an incident at the Ponsonby site today.

"We take health and safety seriously and are discussing this incident with the site development contractor."

Ron Macdonald, general manager, northern region, for Ebert Construction said the incident was under investigation and they were cooperating with Worksafe.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured man and his family at this time."

In 2013, Ebert construction was ordered to pay more than $60,000 in fines and reparations after a subcontractor fell five and half metres suffering a broken pelvis and facial injuries.

The man had been working at Silver Fern Farms' Te Aroha freezing works on the first floor in which a service lift was to be installed.

The hole was covered, but the cover was not fixed in place.