Cancer, respiratory conditions and damage to the kidneys, liver, skin or eyes. Are the risks of exposing yourself to hexavalent chromiumwhich is generated by working hot chrome. Tesla uses it for the panels of the Cybertruck and has been reported for exposing workers to this material “without proper supervision or training.”
It is the first complaint for a security violation that the Austin (Texas) plant receivesbut Tesla already signs dozens in its other American factories.
The secret, and harmful, ingredient in the armored panels of the Tesla Cybertruck
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has sanctioned Tesla with two fines of almost $3,500adding up to nearly $7,000 in total. This organization’s investigation determined that Tesla exposed four workers to this harmful material without the appropriate training or the required control. Nor did he inform them of its effects.
Additionally, OSHA notes in the reports that Tesla “did not determine the eight-hour time-weighted average exposure for each employee exposed to chrome from the body area of the Cybertruck.” Likewise, it did not evaluate the exposure of employees who “performed cleaning tasks at Prima Laser.”
Tesla turns to chrome for the stainless steel panels of the Tesla Cybertruck: This material increases their hardness and makes them more resistant to corrosion. It is therefore a fundamental ingredient for the mammoth electric pickup truck to boast of being practically indestructible.
Welding and other hot working of chrome, such as laser cutting, can release toxic hexavalent chromium. And it is precisely the one that these employees have been exposed to for an excessive amount of time and without taking appropriate precautions.
The Austin plant, also known as Giga Texas and where the Cybertruck is manufactured in addition to the Tesla Model Y, is Tesla’s most recent: it has been in operation for just over a year. These two sanctions for violation have been the first by OSHA in this factory, but the death of a worker is still being investigated. He suffered cardiac arrest in early August and OSHA is currently working to determine the cause of his death.
Little respect for labor rights. Tesla doesn’t exactly have a good record for the safety of its workers in its factories. According to Forbesin Fremont and Nevada between 2019 and 2022, received 29 complaints for safety violations and was fined almost $400,000. A figure that surpassed the 21 received by the rest of the manufacturers with factories in the US.
Nor does it stand out for not taking the rights of its workers into account. An example is how he communicated the dismissal to the 14,000 employees he laid off this year, in anticipation of Tesla’s decline in profitability.
Especially egregious was the massive layoff in the supercharger department, one of the keys to Tesla’s success, which had to be reinstated later. He completely destroyed it because the head of the department dared to contradict Elon Musk.
In Europe, Tesla has come face to face with its greatest union tradition compared to the US. But she is not willing to jump through hoops: at the Berlin plant she has threatened to throw out any worker who unionizes onto the streets. And he has been fighting for a year with the mechanics of his technical centers in Norway for not wanting to join them in the collective agreement in this sector.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
