Man injured during shuttle pad work http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060719/BREAKINGNEWS /60719017/1007
Piece of compressor strikes worker in head at KSC launch complex BY J.D. GALLOP FLORIDA TODAY Kennedy Space Center officials suspended work on one of the space shuttle launch pads Wednesday, after a worker was seriously injured by a loose part that flew from a compressor and struck him on the head. The accident - one of a series of mishaps to take place at the space center this year - happened about 7 a.m., after a piece from a 10-foot-tall compressor unit used for sandblasting snapped loose and hit the worker as he stood on the ground level of launch complex 39A. "Right now we're setting up an investigation board either today or tomorrow to review what happened," said Bruce Buckingham, a spokesman for the Kennedy Space Center. "We're in a situation where we are securing the area and taking evidence so that we can understand what happened. Until that's completed we won't be doing any detailed work at the pad now." The unidentified worker, a subcontractor hired by the shuttle processing company United Space Alliance, was treated at the scene and then airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center's trauma center in Melbourne. His condition was not immediately known, officials said. "He's a good worker and a good person," said Dale Kauzlick, the site manager for the Titusville-based SDB Engineers and Contractors company that hired the injured worker. Kauzlick, whose company does corrosion control work at KSC, did not release the man's name. The launch complex, one of two 400-foot towers used by the space shuttle program, was not in use and was being refurbished for next year's launch schedule, Buckingham said. Launch pad 39B - the site of Discovery's liftoff on July 4 - is the primary launch site for the next three shuttle missions. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
