A worker has died after a portion of rock ledge collapsed onto an excavator at a quarry in Sterling, Massachusetts, the Worcester District Attorney's Office confirmed Thursday afternoon.
The district attorney's office said the incident occurred just before 8 a.m., when emergency crews were called to a quarry on Stone Crest Way. An area of rock had collapsed onto an excavator with a worker inside. Aerial video showed over a dozen ambulances, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles at the site as the situation unfolded.
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Crews used camera equipment to asses the scene and were able to determine that there were no signs of life. The worker was pronounced dead at 8:39 a.m., and crews are continuing to work to recover the body.
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The U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration was inspecting the site to determine the safety of moving forward with retrieval efforts. A representative for the agency said there was no estimated time their investigation of the accident would be completed.
At an emergency meeting Thursday morning, the Sterling Select Board issued a cease-and-desist order for earth removal at the site.
The Sterling Fire Department said there was no threat to the public but asked people to avoid the area.
The site and removal operation is owned by Onyx Corporation, which said in a statement Thursday morning that it would be closing all its locations through the weekend.
"Our hearts go out to the family of our longtime employee and friend who was killed in a tragic accident this morning at our Sterling Sand and Gravel pit. He was operating an excavator within the safety zone of a 100 foot ledge face when the wall collapsed," the company said in a statement.
The manager of a nearby auto body shop said the facility is "a pretty big pit," with large rock walls and mountains of excavated rock.
Mark St. Fleur runs Somerville-based Aardvark Geotechnical Engineering and Testing, which is not connected to Thursday’s incident.
He says multiple factors could have been at play, including the weather and vibration from construction equipment.
“Some of the causes could be something as simple as vibration all the way to the heavy rains we’ve had over the past few days.”
