Elon Musk’s woes keep mounting. This time, it appears that employees at the founder’s SpaceX facilities are getting injured at much higher rates than the industry average.
Citing data the rocket company reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Reuters found that injury rates at SpaceX last year were higher than the year prior at some of the company’s facilities, including its Texas and Florida locations.
In 2023, SpaceX reported to OSHA that injury rates at its facility in Brownsville, Texas reached 5.9 for every 100 employees. That’s higher than the 4.9 injuries per 100 it reported the year before at that location. Meanwhile, injuries at the company’s Cape Canaveral, Florida facility increased to 2.5, a steep rise from the 0.9 injuries per 100 it reported in 2022. The space industry’s injury average is just 0.8, the publication added.
Moreover, according to a Reuters investigation conducted late last year, SpaceX has been dealing with workplace injuries since 2014. The publication found that there have been at least 600 reported injuries since it began its investigation, some of which include broken bones, concussions, amputations, and even one skull fracture.
SpaceX and OSHA did not respond to a request for comment from Quartz.
Elon Musk’s Tesla is set to report earnings today after the bell. The electric vehicle company is having a rough 2024 so far and its issues only appear to be getting worse. Just last week, the EV maker said it would lay off 10% of its workforce, sending the stock into a spiral.
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