Space Exploration Technologies Corp.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jan 18, 2022: Employee suffers head trauma when struck by cover

At 12:44 p.m. on January 18, 2022, an employee, an integration technician, was performing pneumatic pressure checks on a Raptor V2 Engine while at the Integration Stand. The final step in the pressure check operation, venting, was done for the first time using an automated program as opposed to the normal manual method that had been used in previous operations. Immediately after initiating the automated venting, the employee was struck by the fuel controller cover which broke free from the controller module. The controller cover had sheared at the vertical to horizontal beveled seam, liberating the cover face from the assembly. The employee suffered a skull fracture and head trauma and was hospitalized in a coma for months.

Incident on Mar 15, 2021: Employee is injured when caught in rotating table while perf

At 10:00 a.m. on March 15, 2021, an employee was responding to a repair request for the Honor VL-125C CNC machine, a vertical turning lathe. The employee was working alone. The machine was in manual data input (MDI) mode, and the employee input a M03 "Spindle Forward Set" command instead of the M06 "Auto tool change" command into the control panel of the machine. The key to the interlock had been left in the machine from a previous maintenance of the machine, and it had been turned to the "O" position. The "O" position disabled the interlock function of the door, which normally would cause the machine to turn off. The employee was caught in the rotating table. The employee suffered a torn ligament and lacerations to his left knee and was hospitalized.

Incident on Apr 23, 2017: Employee crushes fingers with shield and amputates fingertip

At 8:00 a.m. on April 23, 2017, an employee was working with a coworker and they were moving a 10 foot tall safety barrier/fragmentation shield on casters. The shield weighed approximately 615 lbs and was to be used for a pressure test on a Dragon capsule propulsion system. The employee and coworker attempted to move the shield through a set of double doors on the southeast end of a building and found that it would not fit through the doors. They tilted the barrier and it started to fall over. The employee grabbed it with his left hand and the side of the barrier crushed his left middle and ring ringers, amputating the tips of both fingers.