After Sterling worker's death: A look at the company's safety record – NBC Boston

After a fatal accident at an industrial site in Sterling, Massachusetts, NBC10 investigators took a closer look at the company's safety record.

Brian Curtis Derby, a 67-year-old Townsend resident, was killed when a rock ledge fell on his excavator. Derby was a longtime employee of Onyx Corporation, which owns and operates the quarry where the collapse occurred.

The site is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Federal investigators are currently on site trying to determine the cause of the fatal accident.

According to MSHA, Oynx has received 37 citations since 2019, totaling $5,913 in fines.

Onyx was cited for violating regulations in most cases, ranging from faulty horns and backup alarms on the units to problems with re-dialing.

Three of these citations were issued just two months ago on June 24 and it was stated that the fines had not yet been determined. One of these citations was for construction and maintenance protection of machinery.

“The company has received 37 fines since 2019, a small number in five years. The dollar amount of fines that can be issued by MSHA depends in part on their severity and any negligence. Fines range from $164 to $88,354 per violation. The highest dollar amount imposed on Onyx was just $355,” an Onyx company spokesperson told NBC10 Boston on Friday. “While the company takes every fine seriously, none of them were relevant to the specific work area or conditions that appear to have played a role in this accident.”

Onyx has announced that all locations will be closed over the weekend. Work at the Sterling location cannot resume until the city issues a cease and desist order. The investigation into Derby's death is ongoing.

Questions arose Friday morning about the cause of a collapse in Sterling, Massachusetts, that killed a worker. The recovery of the body is still underway.