SpaceX employees hold one An outrageous amount of injurieswhich is again above the industry average in 2023, according to safety data reported to US regulators by the aerospace company led by CEO Elon Musk.
The 2023 records of the Occupational Safety and Health Administrationreviewed by Reutersshow that injury rates are at some SpaceX The situation of the facilities worsened in 2023 compared to 2022. The outlet points out that in 2022 the Brownsville, Texas The facility reported 4.8 injuries per 100 workers. This number increased to 5.9 in 2023. For reference: the aerospace industry The average is 0.8 injuries per 100 workers.
However, these numbers may not tell the whole story. Last year, Reuters examined these injury numbers and found at least 600 previously unreported worker injuries SpaceX. Some of these injuries resulted in crushed limbs, amputations and serious head injuries, as well as death.
The 2023 data is the most comprehensive report from SpaceX So far, injuries have been recorded at eight large facilities, two more than in 2022. In previous years Musk’s company had not reported data for most of its sites, including production and launch facilities.
These astronomical (I’m so sorry) injury rates should be cause for concern SpaceX Customers like NASA, security experts say. Out of Reuters:
The federal space program has increasingly relied on SpaceX in recent years, paying the company at least $11.8 billion through 2022 for various contracts.
“NASA should be concerned about the quality of work,” said David Michaels, a former OSHA administrator and now a professor at George Washington University. High injury rates could be “an indicator of poor production quality,” he added.
A NASA spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
The deeper you delve into these numbers SpaceX, the more alarming it becomes. A unit recovering rocket boosters in the Pacific Ocean has reported 7.6 Injuries per 100 workers. That is nine Times higher than the industry average. In other words, SpaceX is a security threat.
Of the eight facilities reported by SpaceX, not a single one is at or below the industry average. If you work at the aerospace company and want to keep your risk of injury as low as possible, you’ll have to work at its Redmond factory, which still had an injury rate of 1.5 per 100 workers in 2023.
Shockingly, neither musk or SpaceX overall have ever commented on the company’s disastrous safety record.