There is reportedly a culture of safety deficiencies at the Tesla facility.
New Delhi:
A software engineer reportedly suffered serious injuries when he was attacked by a malfunctioning robot designed to move aluminum car parts at Tesla's Giga Texas factory in Austin, Texas. The robot reportedly trapped the engineer and inflicted injuries on his back and arm by slamming in its claws, leaving a trail of blood on the factory floor. The incident, which occurred two years ago, was revealed in a 2021 injury report.
According to the report, the engineer programmed software for robots to cut car parts from freshly cast aluminum. While two robots were disabled for maintenance, a third was accidentally left active, leading to the attack. The injured engineer reportedly suffered an open wound on his left hand, but it was not serious. Tesla declined to comment on the incident.
Although no other robot-related injuries were reported at the Texas factory in 2021 and 2022, reports suggest there is a culture of safety deficiencies at the facility.
Injury reports submitted to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) show a high injury rate at Giga Texas, with nearly one in 21 workers reported injured last year, well above the average injury rate of one in 30 workers in the automotive industry lies .
Current and former Tesla employees have alleged that the company often compromises on construction, maintenance and operations, putting employees at risk.
The report said that in 2022, an incident involving water immersed in molten aluminum caused an explosion in the area of the castings, resulting in a sonic boom-like sound.