Tesla software engineer attacked by malfunctioning robot at factory in Austin, witnesses say
By Ariel Zilber
Published Dec. 26, 2023, 2:26 p.m. ET
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.
Witnesses told the Information last month that the robot, designed to move aluminum car parts, pinned the engineer and sank its metal claws into his back and arm, leaving a trail of blood along the floor.
The engineer was programming software that controls robots whose job it is to cut car parts from freshly cast pieces of aluminum.
While two of the robots were disabled so that the engineer and his crew could work on the machines, a third was inadvertently left on — resulting in the attack two years ago, witnesses told the Information.
The news site said it obtained an injury report that was submitted to federal officials as well as to health authorities in Travis County.
The engineer suffered a “laceration, cut or open wound” on his left hand, according to the Information. The injury was not severe enough to require the employee to take time off from work, and Tesla declined to comment.
Injury reports submitted to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleged that nearly one out of every 21 workers at the Giga Texas factory got hurt last year. In the automotive industry, the median injury rate last year was one in every 30 workers.
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.
Tesla’s Austin plant has been the site of safety lapses in recent years, according to reports. Sources told the Information that management’s demands for speedy production have led to safety lapses, such as heavy machinery falling near workers on car production lines and workers being exposed to toxins such as ammonia.
The company aims to produce 20 million cars annually by 2030 at the 10 million-square-foot facility, where construction is ongoing. Tesla has said it expects to spend up to $10 billion to complete construction of the plant.