SpaceX was hit with nearly $20,000 in fines in connection to a previously unreported incident wherein a longtime engineer suffered a workplace accident that left him in a coma, in accordance with a report Tuesday.
Francisco Cabada, who has worked for the corporate for a decade, was reportedly “conducting a routine pressure valve test” on a SpaceX “raptor” engine on Jan. 18 when the incident occurred, the report said.
Cabada, who was purportedly standing too near the valve, was badly hurt when pressure rose faster than anticipated and caused a shield to fly off the valve and strike him.
Cabada was rushed to a neighborhood hospital to receive treatment for a skull fracture and head trauma, Semafor reported. He has since come out of the coma, but continues to be unable to speak and wishes medical assistance to survive.
The incident resulted in federal scrutiny of the incident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slapped SpaceX with two fines totaling $18,475 for safety violations as a part of the still-pending probe.
According to OSHA’s report, “the ultimate step within the pressure check operation, venting, was done for the primary time using an automatic program versus the traditional manual method that had been utilized in previous operations.”
Considered one of the fines was for an infraction the agency tagged with its highest level of severity.
The Post has reached out to SpaceX for comment. The California Division of Occupational Health and Safety (Cal/OSHA), the agency leading the inquiry into the incident, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
SpaceX reportedly hasn’t publicly acknowledged the incident or updated employees about his health condition.
Several former SpaceX employees told Semafor they “were concerned Cabada’s family wouldn’t be properly compensated if he can now not work, or worse,” in accordance with the outlet.
Members of Cabada’s family arrange a GoFundMe on behalf of the injured employee, his wife and three children. The page has raised greater than $51,000 from over 500 donations since January.
The incident occurred during a period of intense competition between SpaceX and other privately-held space exploration corporations. SpaceX and rival Blue Origin have each conducted several launches this 12 months while aiming to develop into a pacesetter within the burgeoning sector.
SpaceX has worked as a federal contractor for NASA since 2006. In 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a multibillion-dollar contract to construct a lunar lander that may eventually return astronauts to the moon.
In an unrelated incident earlier this 12 months, SpaceX was cleared of responsibility in a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit. The firm was sued by the family of a Texas man who was killed in a automobile crash near the corporate’s campus in Brownsville, Texas.
In June, SpaceX reportedly fired a body of workers who had criticized Musk in an open letter and referred to his public commentary as a “distraction and embarrassment” to the firm.
SpaceX was hit with nearly $20,000 in fines in connection to a previously unreported incident wherein a longtime engineer suffered a workplace accident that left him in a coma, in accordance with a report Tuesday.
Francisco Cabada, who has worked for the corporate for a decade, was reportedly “conducting a routine pressure valve test” on a SpaceX “raptor” engine on Jan. 18 when the incident occurred, the report said.
Cabada, who was purportedly standing too near the valve, was badly hurt when pressure rose faster than anticipated and caused a shield to fly off the valve and strike him.
Cabada was rushed to a neighborhood hospital to receive treatment for a skull fracture and head trauma, Semafor reported. He has since come out of the coma, but continues to be unable to speak and wishes medical assistance to survive.
The incident resulted in federal scrutiny of the incident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slapped SpaceX with two fines totaling $18,475 for safety violations as a part of the still-pending probe.
According to OSHA’s report, “the ultimate step within the pressure check operation, venting, was done for the primary time using an automatic program versus the traditional manual method that had been utilized in previous operations.”
Considered one of the fines was for an infraction the agency tagged with its highest level of severity.
The Post has reached out to SpaceX for comment. The California Division of Occupational Health and Safety (Cal/OSHA), the agency leading the inquiry into the incident, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
SpaceX reportedly hasn’t publicly acknowledged the incident or updated employees about his health condition.
Several former SpaceX employees told Semafor they “were concerned Cabada’s family wouldn’t be properly compensated if he can now not work, or worse,” in accordance with the outlet.
Members of Cabada’s family arrange a GoFundMe on behalf of the injured employee, his wife and three children. The page has raised greater than $51,000 from over 500 donations since January.
The incident occurred during a period of intense competition between SpaceX and other privately-held space exploration corporations. SpaceX and rival Blue Origin have each conducted several launches this 12 months while aiming to develop into a pacesetter within the burgeoning sector.
SpaceX has worked as a federal contractor for NASA since 2006. In 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a multibillion-dollar contract to construct a lunar lander that may eventually return astronauts to the moon.
In an unrelated incident earlier this 12 months, SpaceX was cleared of responsibility in a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit. The firm was sued by the family of a Texas man who was killed in a automobile crash near the corporate’s campus in Brownsville, Texas.
In June, SpaceX reportedly fired a body of workers who had criticized Musk in an open letter and referred to his public commentary as a “distraction and embarrassment” to the firm.
