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| Alon Musk Image Credit: KIRO 7 |
Incident at Tesla Factory: Robot Arm Mishap Raises Safety Concerns
In a
startling incident at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, a manufacturing
robot reportedly "attacked" an engineer, resulting in injuries and a
trail of blood.
The unsettling event occurred in 2021 but recently came to light through a report published by The Information.
The
Unfortunate Incident
The
engineer, engaged in updating software on three robot arms, unknowingly
overlooked that only two were powered off. As he worked, the third robotic arm
continued its motion, ultimately "pinning the engineer against a surface."
Witnesses
recounted that the robot's claw penetrated the worker's back and arm, causing
an open wound on his left hand.
Quick action by a fellow worker, who pressed the emergency stop button, allowed the engineer to escape the grip of the robot's arm. However, the engineer tumbled into a scrap metal chute, leaving behind a trail of blood.
Elon Musk's Response
Tesla, as of
now, has not responded to media inquiries. Elon Musk, the company's owner,
addressed the incident via a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Musk criticized the media for bringing up an injury from two years ago, attributing it to a standard industrial Kuka robot arm found in all factories, distinct from Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus.
Details from Tesla's Report
The
incident, documented in Tesla's Form 300 report to the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA), occurred on November 10, 2021. OSHA, responsible
for ensuring workplace safety, inspected Tesla's Austin factory once a year in
2021 and 2022.
The factory in Fremont, California, faced more frequent inspections.
Previous
Incidents and Safety Concerns
Tesla has encountered other workplace incidents in recent years. In 2020, California regulators raised concerns about incomplete factory injury reports submitted by Tesla.
Cal/OSHA
warned the company about omitting injuries at its main assembly plant, with at
least 36 injuries left out of Tesla's records in 2018 alone.
The Workers
Defense Project, a non-profit labor organization, took legal action against
Tesla in 2022, alleging inadequate safety training for employees.
This
incident adds to the ongoing scrutiny of Tesla's commitment to ensuring a safe
working environment for its employees.
(Courtesy:
KIRO 7)
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