The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating a crane-related accident at SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas after a construction worker was struck by a falling metal support in November. The worker, Eduardo Cavazos, has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX and one of its contractors alleging negligence.
Details of the November Accident and Lawsuit
According to the complaint, Cavazos was working as a subcontractor for CCC Group, which had been hired to build concrete walls at Starbase. On November 15, a crane operator was lifting a vertical formwork—equipment that holds wet concrete while it sets—when a long metal support detached and fell on Cavazos. The lawsuit claims that an amended filing this week includes an allegation that another CCC Group employee operating the crane was seen using a cell phone around the time of the incident. The operator allegedly lowered the formwork too quickly, causing it to hit the ground and startle workers, then lifted it abruptly, resulting in the 1,200-pound support striking Cavazos.
Cavazos suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to his hip, knee and tibia, as well as injuries to his neck, head, shoulders, back and legs. His lawyers wrote that he will likely require physical therapy, medication, pain management and possibly surgery. He is seeking unspecified damages and alleges both companies failed to ensure the equipment was properly secured and did not adequately warn workers about the hazard.
OSHA’s Rapid Response Investigation
SpaceX reported the accident to OSHA, prompting a rapid response investigation, which involves OSHA requesting information before deciding whether to conduct an on-site inspection. The agency is still awaiting SpaceX’s response. This marks the second known crane-related investigation at Starbase this year. OSHA is also examining a crane collapse in late June captured on livestream by LabPadre. SpaceX and local officials have not commented on whether anyone was injured in that incident.
Safety Record and Previous Incidents at Starbase
Starbase has recorded higher injury rates than other SpaceX locations. A TechCrunch analysis of OSHA data from July found Starbase had a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 4.27 injuries per 100 workers in 2024, compared with 2.48 at SpaceX’s McGregor testing facility and 1.43 at its Hawthorne site. The aerospace manufacturing industry’s average TRIR in 2024 was 1.6. Former OSHA chief of staff Debbie Berkowitz previously described Starbase’s TRIR as a “red flag” indicating significant safety concerns.
Past reports have documented additional incidents at Starbase. A 2023 Reuters investigation highlighted previously unreported worker injuries and noted that an employee died at the site in 2014 during early construction. Transparency remains a challenge; OSHA fined SpaceX $7,000 in June for failing to report a separate qualifying injury within the required 24 hours. SpaceX contested the citation and later reached an undisclosed settlement.
Expansion Plans and External Pressure
SpaceX is expanding Starbase with the construction of “Gigabay,” a $250 million, 700,000-square-foot rocket factory expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The company has said the facility could eventually produce up to 1,000 Starship rockets per year.
At the same time, SpaceX faces pressure from NASA leadership. Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy recently criticized the company for not advancing quickly enough on plans to return astronauts to the moon after Elon Musk referred to lunar missions as a distraction from Mars. Duffy suggested that NASA may rely on rockets from Blue Origin for lunar landings before China attempts a crewed mission in 2029.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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