Space Forum / Shuttle / March 2006

March 23, 2006

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
(202) 358-4769

Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(321) 867-2468

RELEASE: M06-049

NASA APPOINTS BOARD TO INVESTIGATE FATALITY AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

NASA formed an investigation board this week at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center, Fla., to review the circumstances surrounding the death of a
construction worker who fell off a building at the center.

The functions of the five-member investigation board include examining
the facts surrounding the incident, gathering evidence, determining
probable cause and recommending corrective actions. A final report is
expected in about one month.

Chairing the board is John Casper, manager of the Space Shuttle
Management Integration and Planning Office at NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston. Casper is a veteran astronaut who flew on four
space shuttle missions. He has also served as director of Safety,
Reliability and Quality Assurance at Johnson. In addition to the five
voting members, the board is also supported by a number of NASA
advisers and administrative support staff.

In the early afternoon of March 17, Steven Owens, a 46-year-old
employee of Oneida Construction, was performing roof repairs at a
warehouse when he fell about 16 feet. Emergency personnel were called
to the site, and he was airlifted to a hospital in Orlando, Fla.,
where he died that same day. 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 contractor.

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home

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