CIR: Tesla Pressured Clinic to Dismiss Work Injuries

Friday, April 12, 2019 | 0

In the latest in its series of investigative reports on Tesla, the Center for Investigative Reporting contends that the electric-car maker and the doctor treating the company’s injured workers coordinated their efforts to prevent employees from getting workers’ comp benefits.

Dr. Basil Besh

Dr. Basil Besh “did whatever he could to not jeopardize his chance to run Tesla’s on-site factory clinic,” according to an article in CIR’s Reveal magazine, which cited the former operations manager at Besh’s Access Omnicare clinic in Fremont, California.

For example, CIR details the case of a worker who received a strong electrical shock when touching a forklift, according to an incident report. A doctor at Besh’s clinic deemed it a work-related injury and prescribed restricted work duties, tests and physical therapy, according to medical records cited by CIR.

But after Tesla complained, Besh allegedly intervened and another doctor took over the case. The new doctor reportedly said the worker didn’t have an electrical injury because the forklift did not have an electric current running at the time.

CIR said neither Tesla nor Besh responded to requests for comment for the story. Besh said in a previous interview that he wasn’t pressured by Tesla to dismiss injuries.

The article follows previous reports in Reveal that allege Tesla didn’t report injuries as required and that its medical clinic failed to provide proper treatment to employees.