OSHA probing worker death at SpaceX’s Starbase site

A idiosyncratic died astatine SpaceX’s Starbase motorboat tract successful South Texas connected Friday, and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation.

The San Antonio Express-News reported Monday that the unidentified unfortunate died astatine astir 4:17 a.m. section clip connected May 15, citing OSHA and section officials. The Wall Street Journal aboriginal reported that the region sheriff confirmed to the outlet that a idiosyncratic died. OSHA confirmed to TechCrunch that it is investigating the evident accident.

Representatives for the adjacent Brownsville constabulary and occurrence departments did not respond to requests for comment. SpaceX and the newly-incorporated City of Starbase did not respond to requests for comment.

The circumstances of the worker’s decease are not instantly clear. OSHA told TechCrunch that it won’t merchandise much accusation until its probe is complete, which could instrumentality months.

The decease comes conscionable a fewer days up of the archetypal planned motorboat of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket. Elon Musk’s spaceflight institution is besides reportedly releasing the elaborate prospectus for its archetypal nationalist offering this week, which is expected to beryllium the biggest ever erstwhile that transaction takes spot adjacent month.

SpaceX has agelong dealt with idiosyncratic information problems astatine its Starbase site, which handles Starship prototype launches and is an progressive operation zone.

In 2025, TechCrunch analyzed OSHA data and determined the Texas motorboat tract had an wounded complaint that acold outpaced those of manufacture rivals, and was the astir unsafe of SpaceX’s worksites. A 2023 Reuters probe uncovered dozens of previously-unreported injuries and a idiosyncratic decease successful 2014 astatine SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas trial site.

In January, OSHA deed SpaceX with 7 “serious” information violations for, among different things, not decently inspecting a crane earlier it collapsed astatine Starbase past June. The information bureau dealt SpaceX the maximum fiscal punishment connected six of those 7 violations, totaling $115,850. SpaceX is contesting those penalties, national records show.

The institution has been deed with aggregate lawsuits related to injuries sustained astatine Starbase successful caller years. In December, an worker of 1 of SpaceX’s subcontractors sued aft helium was crushed by a ample metallic enactment dropped from a crane. The worker, Eduardo Cavazos, suffered a breached hip, knee, and tibia, and OSHA opened a “rapid effect investigation,” arsenic TechCrunch first reported successful December.

OSHA has since closed that accelerated effect probe without taking immoderate punitive action, according to a TechCrunch nationalist records request. And the suit was precocious dropped due to the fact that his employee, the subcontractor, has workers compensation security that prevents it from being sued, according to Cavazos’ attorney.