SpaceX Starbase Under Fire for Alarming Worker Injury Rates Amid Ongoing OSHA Probe

SpaceX’s Starbase facility, the hub for its ambitious Starship program, is facing intense scrutiny over worker safety, with recent data revealing injury rates significantly higher than industry averages and other company sites. According to internal company records reviewed by TechCrunch, Starbase logged injury rates in 2024 that were nearly six times higher than comparable space vehicle manufacturing outfits and almost three times higher than the overall aerospace manufacturing sector.

The alarming trend, which has persisted since 2019, is highlighted by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data released in May. This comes as OSHA continues an active investigation into a crane collapse at Starbase in June 2025, one of six accident-related inspections at the site over the past four years. The facility’s Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) reached 4.27 injuries per 100 workers in 2024, a stark contrast to the industry average of 0.7 injuries per 100 workers in 2023.

While 2024 showed a slight improvement from 2023’s peak of 5.9 injuries per 100 workers, Starbase continues to lead all SpaceX land-based facilities in injury rates. Former OSHA chief of staff Debbie Berkowitz has called Starbase’s TRIR a “red flag that there are serious safety issues that need to be addressed.”

NASA, a major partner relying on Starship for future lunar missions, is closely monitoring the situation. While current TRIR rates do not automatically trigger contractual safety breach clauses, a NASA spokesperson affirmed the agency’s commitment to safety and ongoing communication with commercial partners like SpaceX.

阅读中文版 (Read Chinese Version)

Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.