Reuters conducted an investigation into the state of security at SpaceX and found numerous violations. They lead to serious injuries and even fatalities among employees.
Reuters cites the transportation of foam insulation to the main hangar as one of the examples of safety violations. The employees had nothing to secure the load, and one of them simply sat on it. When the truck started on the road, a strong gust of wind threw the cargo and the person sitting on it from the trailer. As a result, 38-year-old LeBlanc hit his head on the pavement and died on the spot from his injuries.
US regulators accused the company of “serious” security breaches that led to the incident. LeBlanc’s colleagues said that SpaceX does not have convenient access to docking sites, and there is no control over the handling of such cargoes.
Although this incident happened back in 2014, and SpaceX was ordered to take 7 specific measures to improve safety, including additional training and equipment, the situation has not improved dramatically in recent years. According to Reuters, which cites interviews and government reports, there have been at least 600 injuries among SpaceX workers since 2014.
Many of the incidents were quite serious and led to disability. More than 100 workers were reported to have suffered cuts or lacerations. Another 29 employees suffered broken bones or dislocations, and 17 people suffered broken hands or fingers. The reports also include information on 9 cases of head injuries, including one skull fracture, four concussions and one traumatic brain injury. The incidents also resulted in five burns and five electric shocks. SpaceX employees were also injured in 8 accidents that resulted in amputations. Additionally, there were 12 injuries involving multiple unspecified body parts, and seven workers suffered eye injuries. Other incidents were relatively minor, including more than 170 reports of stretching.
Current and former SpaceX employees say such injuries reflect chaos in the workplace, where often undertrained and overworked workers routinely skip basic safety procedures in an effort to meet the tight deadlines Musk has set for space missions. According to more than a dozen current and former employees, including a former top executive, SpaceX takes a position that employees are responsible for their own protection and safety.
Musk himself has sometimes shown nonchalance about safety standards during visits to SpaceX sites. Four employees said he sometimes played with the new flamethrower and told workers not to wear protective yellow clothing because he didn’t like bright colors.
The weak safety culture, employees say, is partly the result of Musk’s disdain for perceived bureaucracy, as well as a belief within SpaceX that the company is leading the urgent task of creating a refuge in space from a dying Earth.
“Elon’s idea that SpaceX is on a mission to get to Mars as soon as possible and save humanity permeates every part of the company,” said Tom Moline, a former senior avionics engineer at SpaceX who was among a group of employees fired after the grievances were filed. at the workplace. “The company is justified in abandoning anything that might stand in the way of achieving this goal, including employee safety.”
How Elon Musk became a “gray cardinal” in the USA [життєпис техномільярдера за The New Yorker]
Source: Reuters
