NASA Appoints Board to Investigate Worker Fatality

March 24, 2006
NASA has appointed a board to investigate an accident at the Kennedy Space Center that involved the death of a construction worker who fell off a building at the center on March 17.

The purpose of the five-member investigation board chaired by John Caspar, manager of the of the Space Shuttle Management Integration and Planning Office in Houston includes examining the facts surrounding the incident, gathering evidence, determining the probable cause and recommending corrective actions.

Steven Owens, a 46-year-old employee of Oneida Construction, was performing roof repairs at a warehouse when he fell about 16 feet. He was airlifted to a hospital in Orlando, Fla., where he died of his injuries. Owens was part of a roofing crew working on a warehouse located behind the Kennedy headquarters building in the center's industrial area. Oneida Construction is a subcontractor to Space Gateway Services, Kennedy's base operations.

A final report is expected in a month, according to a statement released by NASA.

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