CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Boeing worker was killed Monday evening while working at Launch Pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second death at the site in three months.
The Air Force said the death of Bill Brooks, 47, a crane operator who had worked for Boeing for 10 years, appeared to be accidental.
About 6 p.m., workers were doing monthly maintenance work with overhead cranes on the mobile service tower, the 330-foot tall structure that will surround a rocket before flight.
"An employee was pinned by the crane against a hard support structure and was crushed," said Boeing's director of communication Ron Larivee.
An ambulance took Brooks to Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, and he was pronounced dead there.
Boeing, the Air Force and the Office of Safety and Health Administration are investigating the accident.
"We have to really find out the cause of the accident before we act on it," said Boeing spokesman Larry Salazar. "We are very much committed to everyone's safety."
In July, a worker was killed after being struck on the head by a high-pressure pipe. The man worked for the subcontractor Precision Fabricating and Cleaning.
The OSHA investigation on that case has not been completed. If the agency were to issue a citation, it would have to do so within six months of the accident, said Les Grove, OSHA's Tampa area director. Launch Pad 37 will be the future launch pad of the new Delta 4 rocket, the first stage of which is on its way to the Cape via boat.
Boeing suspended operations at the pad Monday. The company plans to have a dedication ceremony for the launch pad next Tuesday.
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