Tesla engineer attacked by robot in ‘violent’ malfunction
A Tesla software engineer suffered serious injuries when he was attacked by a malfunctioning robot on the floor of the electric car maker’s factory in Austin, Texas.
According to a British daily, the incident – which left the victim with an ‘open wound’ on his left hand – was revealed in a 2021 injury report filed to Travis county and federal regulators.
The engineer was programming software that controls robots whose job it is to cut car parts from freshly cast pieces of aluminum.
Witnesses told the Information last month that the robot pinned the engineer and sank its metal claws into his back and arm, leaving a trail of blood along the floor.
The robot reportedly immobilised the engineer and left the victim with an “open wound” on his left hand.
The engineer was able to break free from the Tesla robot after a colleague pressed the emergency stop button. Upon being released, the engineer reportedly tumbled a few feet down a chute intended for collecting scrap aluminium.
The injury was apparently not severe enough to require the employee to take time off from work.
Tesla has faced criticism for its handling of workplace safety and accident reporting. At the Giga Texas plant, data has shown a higher rate of injuries compared to industry averages.
In cases of severe on-the-job injuries, the ratio was one in every 26 workers at the Tesla Giga Texas plant compared to one in 38 workers at other major US auto factories.
Several current and former Tesla workers employed at the factory told the Information that the company regularly cut corners on construction, maintenance and operations in a manner that placed them at risk.
Sources told the Information that management’s demands for speedy production have led to safety lapses. Witnesses reported that heavy machinery including a crane, a steel beam and an air conditioning duct have fallen near workers on car production lines.
Last year, Workers Defense Project filed a complaint on behalf of workers at Giga Texas with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), alleging Tesla’s contractors and subcontractors gave some hires false safety certificates.
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