The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the injury of a subcontractor who broke his jaw while working at Tesla’s Fremont, Calif. Factory, the second probe opened by the agency this month to examine hazards at the company.
News of the investigation, which was first reported by Bloomberg, alongside a J.P. Morgan analyst note that forecasts headwinds for Tesla as German luxury brands launch their own electric vehicles, sent shares down more than 2% Friday.
Tesla confirmed there was an accident and issued a statement noting that the worker was a subcontractor working under a primary contractor when the accident occurred.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and wellbeing of those who work at Tesla every day. This injury involved a worker who had been hired by an independent contractor and was performing a procedure that had been developed by and was under the supervision of that contractor,” a Tesla spokeswoman wrote in an emailed statement. “This contractor was also responsible for reporting the injury, which they did. We take any injury very seriously, and we’ll of course provide our full cooperation to Cal-OSHA. Last year alone, while Tesla’s vehicle production increased 20%, both our rate of injuries and the average severity of injuries declined significantly – and we’re working hard to reduce that even more.”
