Reuters: SpaceX workers suffered 600 serious injuries due to Musk’s ambitions

Over the past nine years, SpaceX employees have suffered nearly 600 work-related injuries as a result of CEO Elon Musk’s ambitions to fly to Mars. This was reported by the Reuters news agency.

Journalists spoke with 30 current and former SpaceX employees who talked about what was happening in the company. It turned out that more than a hundred people received cuts or lacerations at work, in 29 cases there were fractures and dislocations, and in nine cases there were head injuries. Amputations had to be performed in eight cases, and several people suffered burns. In total there are about 600 different incidents, some leading to disability.

According to statements by SpaceX employees, such incidents occur due to chaos in the company. Insufficiently trained staff violate safety rules in an effort to meet Musk’s deadlines. At the same time, SpaceX claims that employees are responsible for their own safety.

It is noted that Musk periodically showed indifference to safety precautions during visits to SpaceX facilities, playing with a flamethrower and shooting in the direction of other people. It is also indicated that the company is calling for the abandonment of yellow protective clothing due to Musk’s preference for darker colors. The requirement to abandon bright colors also applied to industrial equipment.

Former and current SpaceX employees believe that this attitude is due to Musk’s belief in the company’s special mission to create settlements on Mars.