Farmington, Conn. — University of Connecticut police are investigating the discovery of a noose inside a construction site at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.

Turner Construction, which is working on a new patient care tower at John Dempsey Hospital, said a worker found the noose on Wednesday.

The company said construction was stopped for the day and company officials had a meeting with their crew.

The company says it has a zero tolerance policy for harassment and anyone found responsible for placing the noose at the site will not be allowed back.

"All of the employees of Turner Construction Company and our subcontractors are required to adhere to our harassment avoidance policies," the statement said. "The Company requires the organizations with whom it does business to share this commitment."

The construction is part of the Bioscience Connecticut initiative, which includes completion of a new ambulatory care center, renovating the existing John Dempsey Hospital and the construction of the new tower on the campus of UConn Health.

Tom Breen, a spokesman for UConn, said the school is pleased that Turner and the Building Trades Council acted quickly and are taking the incident seriously.

"There is no room on UConn's campuses, nor in a civil society for that matter, for any form of harassment or intimidation, and we condemn this action in the strongest possible terms," Breen said.

Police are investigating it as a possible hate crime.