【AI前沿】OSHA probing worker death at SpaceX’s Starbase site

A worker died at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in South Texas on Friday, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation.TheSan Antonio Express-News reported Mondaythat the unidentified victim died at around 4:17 a.m. local time on May 15, citing OSHA and local officials. The Wall Street Journal later reported that the county sheriffconfirmed to the outletthat a worker died. OSHA confirmed to TechCrunch that it is investigating the apparent accident.Representatives for the nearby Brownsville police and fire 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 death are not immediately clear. OSHA told TechCrunch that it won’t release more information until its investigation is complete, which could take months.The death comes just a few days ahead of the first planned launch of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket. Elon Musk’s spaceflight company is also reportedly releasing the detailed prospectus for its initial public offering this week, which is expected to be the biggest ever when that transaction takes place next month.SpaceX has long dealt with worker safety problems at its Starbase site, which handles Starship prototype launches and is an active construction zone.In 2025, TechCrunchanalyzed OSHA dataand determined the Texas launch site had an injury rate that far outpaced those of industry rivals and was the most dangerous of SpaceX’s worksites. A 2023Reuters investigationuncovered dozens of previously unreported injuries and a worker death in 2014 at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, test site.In January, OSHA hit SpaceX with seven “serious” safety violations for, among other things, not properly inspecting a crane before it collapsed at Starbase last June. The safety agency dealt SpaceX the maximum financial penalty on six of those seven violations, totaling $115,850. SpaceX is contesting those penalties, federal records show.The company has been hit with multiple lawsuits related to injuries sustained at Starbase in recent years. In December, an employee of one of SpaceX’s subcontractors sued after he was crushed by a large metal support dropped from a crane. The worker, Eduardo Cavazos, suffered a broken hip, knee, and tibia, and OSHA opened a “rapid response investigation,” as TechCrunchfirst reportedin December.OSHA has since closed that rapid response investigation without taking any punitive action, according to a TechCrunch public records request. And the lawsuit was recently dropped because his employer, the subcontractor, provides workers compensation insurance that prevents the company from being sued, according to Cavazos’ attorney.TopicsOSHA,Space,SpaceX,starbase,TransportationWhen you purchase through links in our articles,we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.Sean O’KaneSr. Reporter, TransportationSean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short- and long-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane.You can contact or verify outreach from Sean by [email protected] via encrypted message at okane.01 on Signal.View BioMay 27Athens, GreeceStrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone.REGISTER NOWMost PopularUsers turn to jailbreaking their older Kindles as Amazon ends supportLauren ForristalOpenAI launches ChatGPT for personal finance, will let you connect bank accountsIvan MehtaUS orders travelers on Air Force One to throw away gifts, pins, and burner phones after China tripLorenzo Franceschi-BicchieraiWhat happens when AI starts building itself?Russell BrandomOpenAI is reportedly preparing legal action against Apple; it wouldn’t be the first partner to feel burnedConnie LoizosHow to turn off Instagram’s new Instants feature and retract photos you accidentally sharedAisha MalikMusk’s xAI is running nearly 50 gas turbines unchecked at its Mississippi data centerTim De Chant