SpaceX skipped necessary crane inspections before a June collapse at Starbase. OSHA has issued serious violations and fines against the company.
OSHA found that SpaceX broke safety rules and has given the company seven serious violations. They will have to pay a total of $115,850 in fines. OSHA started its investigation just one day after the crane crash. We don’t know if anyone was hurt when it fell.
SpaceX is getting ready to do more work at the Starbase site soon. They have plans for many rocket launches this year. But, the company has a history of accidents at this location, with a number of injuries reported over the last decade. Some reports show that SpaceX has a higher injury rate at Starbase than at other places they operate.
Crane problems are common too. In December, a worker from a SpaceX contractor said he got hurt when a heavy support fell from a crane. OSHA is also looking into that incident.
The crane accident happened on June 24, 2025, when workers were cleaning up after a Starship explosion. A video showed the crane bending under a heavy piece of debris. OSHA wrote that the crane had been fixed but had not been properly inspected to make sure it was safe.
Also, there were reports that this crane had problems starting. OSHA claimed that SpaceX was not keeping up with monthly checks on these cranes and that some equipment did not have important safety markings. An employee was also found using another crane with an expired certification.