Wooden box hits head
A striking number of work accidents in Tesla’s German factory
September 28, 2023, 6:00 a.m
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Many accidents occur at Tesla’s factory in Grünheide. This is reported by “Stern”. An employee broke into an oven with red-hot aluminum with his foot. Rescuers also found injuries caused by burns, hydrochloric acid or amputated limbs.
In the factory of the American car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide, Brandenburg, a striking number of work accidents occur, including serious and extremely serious accidents. This is reported by “Stern”, citing previously unknown documents from authorities and emergency services.
According to the magazine’s research, a file note from the State Office for Occupational Safety and Health shows that accidents occurred on the factory premises almost daily over a long period of time. Between June and November 2022 alone, Tesla reported at least 190 reportable accidents. In Germany, all accidents at work after which employees are unable to work for at least three days must be reported.
As “Stern” further reports, documents from the rescue centers also document that Elon Musk’s factory requested an ambulance or helicopter 247 times in the first year after opening. Converted to the number of employees, this is three times as many emergencies – over a similar period of time – as in Audi’s factory in Ingolstadt, for example. The rescue reports show, among other things, that a wooden box weighing 50 kilograms fell on an employee’s head from a height of several meters or that an employee broke his foot into a dosing oven with red-hot aluminum. The rescuers also listed injuries caused by burns, hydrochloric acid or amputated limbs.
The district manager of IG Metall for Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony, Dirk Schulze, told “Stern: “This frequency of work accidents is not normal.” In fact, it is several times what is usual in other automobile companies. “I have it The greatest concern is that someone will die at some point.” According to the report, Tesla itself did not comment on the documents or on allegations from employees and labor lawyers. Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke told the magazine that accidents happened almost every day at the factory, according to him ” “not unknown.” But he is “not the spokesman for Tesla.”