Tesla cited for faulty training on hazardous chemicals
As Tesla ramps up production of its new Model 3 sedan, California’s workplace safety watchdog has cited the company for alleged violations of state labor law, most of them related to the handling of hazardous chemicals at the automaker’s Fremont factory.
In a citation sent to Tesla on Jan. 17, the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health — or Cal/OSHA — proposed fining the company $4,455 and gave Tesla 15 days to appeal. Tesla said Wednesday that it would appeal the citation.
Several of the alleged violations echo complaints, reported by The Chronicle in August, from Tesla factory employees who claimed they were not given adequate training to work with potentially dangerous chemicals, including one that can cause birth defects.
Tesla rejected the accusations, calling them a pressure tactic from people trying to unionize the factory. Tesla says that all employees who handle hazardous chemicals must undergo training on how to handle those substances.
A Cal/OSHA inspector visited the plant on Oct. 4, according to the citation.
“Prior to and during the course of inspection, the employer failed to provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area to the extent appropriate,” the citation reads.
Employees were not aware, for example, of the availability and location of safety data sheets which detail the potential hazards of specific chemicals used at the plant, according to the citation. They also did not receive information about the presence of some hazardous chemicals near their work stations or ways they could protect themselves, the citation says. Nor were they informed of the results of air monitoring within the factory.
The document also faults Tesla for poor employee communication regarding an Oct. 24 water leak that apparently left standing water in the plant’s paint department.
Tesla on Wednesday said some of the citation’s com-
plaints were the result of paperwork issues, such as the company being unable to immediately supply the inspector with attendance records for employee training sessions.
“By their very terms, these citations are for issues that Cal-OSHA considers to be non-serious,” a Tesla spokesman said. “Safety is our number one value, and we continue to engage with our employees to make improvements every day as we work to achieve our goal of having the safest auto factory in the world.”
Though the water-leak problem was immediately corrected, according to the document, Tesla has until Feb. 16 to correct other issues described in the citation, unless the company appeals.
A review by The Chronicle in February found that Tesla had been cited by Cal/OSHA for more than 30 health and safety violations during the previous five years. That included 10 “serious” infractions — a category for workplace hazards that could cause an accident that would most likely result in death or serious harm.
The most severe infraction was a 2013 accident at the plant that left three employees severely burned after they were sprayed by molten aluminum. A state investigation found that Tesla failed to maintain the machinery that caused the accident, and the company was fined $71,000.