The contractor involved in the tragic incident that killed a Billerica cop is being slammed by a leading job safety group for its past OSHA violations and for “continuing to ignore and blatantly disregard worker safety.”

Sgt. Ian Taylor, 49, was killed while working at a road construction site in Billerica last month. He was struck by an excavator that was backing up on the worksite. Taylor was transported to Lahey Hospital, where he later died.

Following the cop’s death, the construction site contractor N. Granese and Sons is being called out for its previous violations for not following regulations at excavation sites.

“Construction sites and transportation incidents clearly continue to be a very real threat to workers, with many employers such as N. Granese & Sons, Inc. continuing to ignore and blatantly disregard worker safety,” said Al Vega, of the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH).

“We hope to honor the memory of Sergeant Taylor by highlighting these preventable incidents and keep fighting to make sure companies do more to stop such tragedies from occurring in the future,” Vega added.

N. Granese and Sons has been cited and fined for two OSHA violations involving excavation sites over the past five years.

One of those violations was at a site in Haverhill, resulting in a $4,000 settlement back in 2019.

“Each employee in an excavation was not protected from cave-ins by an adequate protective system,” OSHA wrote about the violation.

Then in 2021, the contractor was cited again for violating this occupational safety and health standard, this time in Newmarket, N.H.

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OSHA is now investigating N. Granese and Sons for the Billerica fatal incident.

“Its purpose is to determine whether there were any violations of workplace safety standards,” an OSHA spokesperson said in a statement.

OSHA has up to 6 months to complete the inspection.

N. Granese and Sons did not immediately respond to comment on Tuesday.

The Billerica tragedy happened less than an hour after the MassCOSH “Workers’ Memorial Day” commemoration, during which the group mourned the losses of the 62 people who died from work last year.

Of those 62 workers, there were 22 fatalities in the construction sector — making it the deadliest sector last year, and more than doubling the number of construction fatalities from 2022.

“As with any worker lost on the job, we are profoundly saddened to hear of the passing of Sergeant Taylor,” MassCOSH’s Vega said. “We are sending our thoughts and prayers to his family and loved ones, who I know just laid him to rest this past week and are still grieving. Having mourned the 22 lives lost to the construction industry in 2023 just an hour before this tragic incident, it is heartbreaking to see another name added to that list of worker fatalities.”

OSHA’s requirements for vehicle safety at construction sites include:

Do not drive a vehicle in reverse gear with an obstructed rear view, unless it has an audible reverse alarm, or another worker signals that it is safe.
All vehicles must have adequate braking systems and other safety devices.
Workers must be highly visible in all levels of light. Warning clothing, such as red or orange vests, are required; and if worn for night work, must be of reflective material.