Tesla’s Gigafactory plagued by safety issues

Workers at Tesla’s enormous gigafactory in Austin are reportedly facing unsafe work conditions that includes fist fights, explosions and even being pinned down by giant robots claws.

The grisly details have emerged in a new report by The Information, which used injury data and interviews with former and current employees to paint a picture of a workplace plagued with safety issues.

According to data sourced from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one in every 21 employees at the gigafactory was reportedly hurt last year.

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Physical fights and frequent verbal altercations also take place, according to The Information, who also reported an incident of an explosion in the Austin factory’s metal casting area around New Year’s 2023.

Tesla employs more than 20,000 workers at its factory in Austin, where production of the Cybertruck is currently being scaled up.

Perhaps the most graphic injury, however, is alleged to have occurred in 2021 when an engineer was gored by one of the factory’s manufacturing robots. The Information reports the robot, which was inadvertently left on by the workers during maintenance, pinned the engineer against a surface and pierced his body. The worker then fell into a scrap metal collection chute, leaving a trail of blood behind him, according to witness accounts.

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This isn’t the first time Tesla has come under fire for unsafe work conditions. In September this year, similar reports of a high frequency of serious injuries and even amputations emerged from the company’s gigafactory in Germany.

Tesla’s Fremont factory in California also has a high rate of worker injuries and there are also allegations of Tesla attempting to cover up workplace injuries by failing to report them.

Musk is infamous for his hardline approach to output, having previously pushed workers through “production hell” when the Model 3 sedan was introduced.

A recent Reuters investigation [↗] also revealed a high number of injuries at Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, that included crushed limbs, head wounds and even electrocutions.