ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Tesla fires back after a scathing report alleges the company underreported injuries (TSLA)

A new report from Reveal alleges that Tesla has underreported workplace injuries at the Fremont factory.

  • The report also claims that
  • On Monday, Tesla responded to the report

In February, Tesla highlighted its efforts to improve worker safety at the Fremont, California, factory where it builds its vehicles. Laurie Shelby — Tesla's vice president of environmental, health, and safety — wrote that the company's total recordable incident rate (TRIR), had fallen 25% since 2016 and was aligned with the industry average. Shelby also outlined the steps the company had taken in an effort to better manage and prevent workplace injuries.

But a new report from Reveal alleges that the company has underreported workplace injuries at the Fremont factory and that working conditions at the facility are not as safe as Tesla has claimed. Reveal reportedly spoke with over three dozen current and former Tesla employees and reviewed hundreds of pages of documents, including internal records and correspondence related to injury reporting.

Here's an overview of the report's claims. You can read the full report on Reveal here.

ADVERTISEMENT
  • Tesla reportedly misreported injury rates at its Fremont factory, either failing to report injuries employees incurred while at work or mislabeling them as personal or minor injuries so they didn't count against the company's public workplace injury statistics.
  • Tesla didn't mark some hazard areas at Fremont in yellow because Musk reportedly doesn't like the color and avoided other safety signs and markings for aesthetic reasons, the report claims.
  • The rate of serious injuries, which means they require employees to miss work or work with restrictions, among Tesla employees was reportedly 30% worse than the industry average in 2017.
  • Some Fremont employees received insufficient training for dangerous work, the report claims.
  • At least one employee warned superiors — including Elon Musk's office — about potential safety hazards, but those warnings were reportedly either ignored or not addressed.

On Monday, Tesla responded to the report in a blog post, calling it "," and claimed it was "calculated disinformation campaign against Tesla."

The post denied that Tesla didn't accurately track or report injuries, has avoided using the color yellow in the Fremont factory, hasn't improved safety at Fremont, and hasn't given employees proper training.

You can read Tesla's full response here.

Business Insider spoke to Tesla employees in 2017 about working conditions at the Fremont factory. You can read our report here.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT