Tesla, the U.S. electric vehicle maker, has rejected claims made by the German union IG Metall and recent media reports regarding health and safety provisions at its gigafactory near Berlin. The company has stated that the health of its workers is a top priority.
The company came under scrutiny following German media reports of an unusually high number of work-related accidents at the plant, which employs around 11,000 workers. The report detailed accidents that included serious injuries such as burns, hydrochloric acid, or amputated limbs.
On Monday, IG Metall stated that its membership numbers among Tesla workers were rising steeply amid concerns over health and safety as well as overwork. However, these claims or the media report could not be independently verified.
In response to these allegations, Tesla issued a written statement saying that workers received training on necessary safety measures and were provided with protective clothing. The company also stated that the plant was subject to regular checks by local authorities to ensure safety measures were being respected. However, the company did not address the specific claims of the union or media reports regarding the number of accidents or workers off sick at the plant.
In an effort to gain insight into the working conditions at the factory, Reuters spoke to twelve workers on Monday. While four said they were satisfied with working conditions, eight reported high pressure for speed, with some reporting a high incidence of accidents and issues with receiving overtime pay.
Brandenburg’s authority on occupational safety and health stated that it only held records of serious accidents at work resulting in over six weeks of inpatient treatment or permanent physical damage. According to their records, there had been six such incidents at the Tesla plant in 2021 and 2022. The authority’s staff conducted weekly safety checks at the plant during its construction phase and now visits fortnightly, with unannounced checks every 6–8 weeks.