Safety data showed that injury rates at SpaceX facilities topped industry averages in 2023 for a second year in a row, Reuters reported Tuesday. The records, which were recently released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also revealed injury rates at some SpaceX locations worsened from what was reported in 2022.
The injury rates should be worrisome from the company’s clients, which includes NASA, safety experts said. As of 2022, NASA had paid SpaceX at least $11.8 billion for a variety of contracts. These rates might be “an indicator of poor production quality,” said former OSHA Administrator David Michaels.
Last year, Reuters investigated SpaceX’s high injury rate, finding at least 600 employee injuries that had previously gone unreported. Injuries ranged from crushed limbs and amputations to serious head injuries and one death. The 2023 data included includes at eight major facilities, which was three more than the company reported in 2022.
