AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla has been fined nearly $7,000 for allegedly exposing four workers to hazardous chemicals without proper training or monitoring at its Gigafactory in southeast Travis County.
Inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found the workers were exposed to hexavalent chromium in their work area in the Cybertruck body area of the facility. Employees performing cleanup tasks at the Prima Laser were not provided effective training on hazardous chemicals, OSHA said.
OSHA issued two citations of $3,457, for a total fine of $6,913.
Tesla produces its Cybertruck and Model Y cars at the 10 million-square-foot facility as well as new battery technology. It also serves as its global headquarters.
According to OSHA, hexavalent chromium is known to cause cancer and targets the respiratory system, kidneys, liver, skin and eyes. Chromium metal is added to alloy steel to increase hardenability and corrosion resistance.
A major source of worker exposure to hexavalent chromium occurs during “hot work” such as welding on stainless steel and other alloy steels containing chromium metal.
Meanwhile, OSHA is still investigating the death of a worker reported at the Tesla facility in August. The agency said it will not release any more information until the investigation is complete.
Currently, there is no known cause of death and it's unclear if the person was an employee or a contractor at the facility.
In 2022, multiple Gigafactory workers filed defense cases against the Department of Labor and OSHA over allegations of labor and employment violations during the construction period of the facility. Allegations from the Workers Defense Project included wage theft, workplace injuries, OSHA violations and fraudulent OSHA certificates for training that workers never received.
