Lance Reynolds
Boston Herald
(TNS)
Federal authorities are investigating a rockslide that killed a worker at a quarry in Sterling on Thursday, and the Select Board in the Worcester County town has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the company that operates the site.
Sterling police dispatchers received a call around 8 a.m. for the rockslide, Chief Sean Gaudette said during an emergency Select Board meeting Thursday afternoon. Upon arrival, officers and firefighters found a “large chunk of rock wall had slid and fallen on top of an excavator,” he added.
“At that point, the fire department was working our rescue operations … they were unable to find any signs of life,” Gaudette said.
“Crews used camera equipment to assess the scene of the collapse,” the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Responders pronounced the worker dead at 8:39 a.m., the office added, with crews continuing to “work to recover the deceased” into the afternoon.
Authorities have not released the worker’s identity.
“Please avoid the area. There is no safety threat to the public,” the Sterling Fire Department said in a morning social media post.
Sterling, a rural town of roughly 8,000 people, is roughly 40 miles west of Boston.
Demolition and excavation company, Onyx Corporation, operates the quarry site on Chocksett Road, off Route 12 and near Interstate 190. The company posted online it has closed all locations from Thursday through the weekend, saying it will resume business on Monday.
That came before the Select Board’s emergency meeting.
“Our hearts are with those involved at this time,” Chairwoman Kirsten Newman said. “As the permit-granting authority for earth removal, I think it is important for us to discuss that permit at this time.”
“I would like to suggest that we issue a cease-and-desist for the time being until we can get a full investigation from the authorities,” she added. “I also want to thank our local first responders who went into an unknown situation and put their lives at risk to try and recover the trapped worker.”
A man reached at a business number associated with the quarry said, “I have nothing at this time.”
In February 2018, Onyx announced its Sterling quarry location.
“Whether you be a small landscaper or heavy civil contractor, we have the locations and expertise to provide you with all your sand or aggregate needs,” the company posted online at the time.
The company posted in January that it transforms chunks of rocks into aggregate materials that are used for roads, drainage, retaining walls, and other infrastructure.
Federal agencies and numerous local and state departments were called to the quarry in response to the rockslide.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration secured the site, with the Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration inspecting the property to determine the safety of moving forward with retrieval efforts, the Worcester DA’s Office said.
“This is a tragic event that none of us really want to be reporting on,” Select Board Vice Chairman David Smith said, “but as the governing body, I believe it is our due diligence to issue a cease-and-desist order.”
Herald wire services were used in this report.
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