Tesla Workers Suffer Higher Injury Rate Than Sawmill, Meat Processing Plant Workers

Thursday, August 3, 2017 | 0

Workers at Tesla Motors' manufacturing facility in Fremont suffer injuries at a higher rate than those at meat processing plants and sawmills, a report from the California worker safety organization Worksafe reveals.

The report shows that 8.8% of workers suffered a preventable injury in 2015. Sawmills and meat processing plants had an average injury rate of 7.3% that year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

CNBC reported the injury rate in a story published Monday detailing the work conditions at Tesla. Tesla employees, who are attempting to unionize, wrote in a letter to the board of directors that "accidents happen every day." 

"Severe incidents frequently impact morale and cause delays in production," the letter reads. "We are losing great workers who are valuable to both our production team and to their families while they spend time on medical leave, recovering from preventable injuries."

Workers also requested assurance that they would not be retaliated against if they reported an injury or issue. They also requested clear guidelines on what is expected of employees to earn promotions. 

"Many of us have worked hard for years with the vague promise of a raise, to no end," the letter reads.

Pay at the Fremont production facility starts at $18 per hour, which is below the national average for auto workers ($25.58), according to United Auto Workers. 

Cal-OSHA fined Tesla $89,000 for seven safety violations in 2014 after investigating an accident in which three workers were splattered with molten metal, WorkCompCentral reported.