A 67-year-old man from Townsend has been recognized because the employee who died in a rock collapse at a Sterling quarry on Thursday, based on authorities and his firm.
A “large chunk” of rock wall collapsed, falling on prime of an excavator Brian Derby had been working “within the safety zone of a 100-foot ledge face,” based on Onyx Corp., a demolition and excavation firm that operates the sand and gravel pit.
“Brian was a dedicated 11-year employee of the company and was respected and loved by many,” Onyx Corp., mentioned in an announcement Friday. “We will continue to provide support to Brian’s friends and family. Professional counseling is being provided to everyone at the company while we mourn this tragic loss.”
The Worcester County District Lawyer’s Workplace launched Derby’s id first after “crews worked through the night,” with the District 8 Technical Rescue Crew – together with belongings from eight cities – recovering the physique Friday morning.
The state Workplace of the Medical Examiner took Derby’s physique from the scene.
Sterling police dispatchers obtained a name for the rockslide round 8 a.m. Thursday. Upon arrival, officers and firefighters discovered a “large chunk of rock wall had slid and fallen on top of an excavator.”
“At that point, the fire department was working our rescue operations … they were unable to find any signs of life,” Police Chief Sean Gaudette instructed the Choose Board throughout an emergency assembly Thursday.
“Crews used camera equipment to assess the scene of the collapse,” the Worcester County District Lawyer’s Workplace had mentioned in an announcement.
Responders pronounced the employee lifeless at 8:39 a.m. Thursday, the workplace added.
Sterling, a rural city of roughly 8,000 folks, is roughly 40 miles west of Boston.
Demolition and excavation firm, Onyx Corp., has operated the quarry website on Chocksett Highway, off Route 12 and close to Interstate 190, since 2018.
Onyx Corp. posted on-line it had closed all areas by way of the weekend, saying it could resume enterprise on Monday, however that got here earlier than the Choose Board ordered the corporate to stop operations till an investigation is full.
“Our hearts are with those involved at this time,” board Chairwoman Kirsten Newman mentioned Thursday. “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 spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration, which inspected the site to determine the safety of moving forward with retrieval efforts, gave no estimate on when the investigation would be done.
“This is a tragic event that none of us really want to be reporting on,” Choose Board Vice Chairman David Smith mentioned, “but as the governing body, I believe it is our due diligence to issue a cease-and-desist order.”
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