Musk's SpaceX fined after 'near amputation' suffered by worker: record

U.S. worker safety officials fined Elon Musk's SpaceX $3,600 this month after an accident at its site in Washington state led to a "near amputation," according to inspection records reviewed by Reuters.

A Reuters investigation late last year found that Musk's rocket company disregarded worker safety regulations and standard practices at its facilities nationwide. Through interviews and government records, the news organization documented at least 600 previously unreported injuries of SpaceX workers since 2014.

SpaceX has not responded to Reuters' questions about any of the incidents.

Inspectors from Washington state's Department of Labor and Industries discovered new safety violations at the company's Redmond, Washington, site last December, in a visit prompted by worker complaints, according to state inspection records obtained by Reuters under an open records request. An agency spokesperson said SpaceX can still appeal the decision.

The inspectors concluded the site lacked a "thorough safety program," adequate communication of work rules, and a system to "correct violations," the records said. The "near amputation," as inspectors called it, occurred after a roll of material fell and crushed a worker's foot.

Managers at SpaceX told the state inspectors that it was a one-time incident and that the problem was fixed.

However, inspectors found that employees were not required to wear steel-toe shoes, even though the rolls of materials they had to load into a machine had gotten heavier – increasing from about 80 pounds to 300 pounds (36 kilograms to 136 kilograms) each. The violation was described as serious given the risk of injury, an agency spokesperson said.

(With input from Reuters.)