The incident happened at around 12.30pm at Balfour’s £42m job in the city centre to build a new Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities for De Montfort University.
The man, who was working for a subcontractor on the job, suffered injuries to his limbs and was airlifted to hospital. According to police who were called to the incident the man’s injuries were not life threatening.
Work on the six storey building, which is close to being topped out, was halted while police and the Health and Safety Executive carry out a joint investigation.
An eyewitness told a reporter for local paper the Leicester Mercury: “The chap came past us on a stretcher and he was conscious. We couldn’t see his face because he had a neck brace on.
“Builders who come in said he had fallen three storeys down a lift shaft, but that he was talking afterwards.”
A Balfour Beatty spokesman said: “There was an incident at our De Montfort University construction site this morning involving a subcontractor which resulted in an individual being taken to hospital.
“Work in the immediate vicinity of the incident has been stopped while investigations take place.
“While investigations are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further.”