Worker Death Under Investigation at Tesla Gigafactory in Austin
August 6th, 2024
A worker died at the Tesla gigafactory in Austin on August 1 due to unreported causes, according to new sources in the area. This incident is one of hundreds of workplace deaths seen in Texas every year.
Keep reading to learn more about the case and workplace fatalities in Texas from Ramos James Law, Austin workplace accident attorneys.
The Austin Factory Death
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) reports that they and the Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) responded to an incident at the Tesla Gigafactory at around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 1.
ACTEMS told reporters that they responded to what was described as an adult cardiac arrest and that a person was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Meanwhile, TCSO told reporters that they had responded to a call regarding a “deceased person.”
The incident is now under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA is a federal agency charged with protecting the safety and healthful conditions of workers in the U.S.
No other information has been made available about the incident or the investigation. However, the OSHA investigation is required to finish within six months. Tesla has not responded to local media’s requests for comment.
This is not the first time a death has been reported at a Tesla factory. In 2023, a 31-year-old worker was crushed to death at a Tesla factory in Shanghai where investigators found safety weaknesses.
Texas Workplace Accidents: By the Numbers
Unfortunately, Texas is in the top two states in the country when it comes to the total number of workplace fatalities.
In 2022, the most recent year reported at this time, there were a total of 578 worker deaths in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. That represents an 8% increase over the year before and is only a tiny fraction of all workplace accidents seen in the state. In 2022, there were an additional 178,800 nonfatal workplace injuries in Texas.
While the number of fatal accidents has fluctuated over the past 5 years, the total number of worker injuries has been slowly decreasing in Texas, down to 1.9 cases per 100 equivalent full-time Texas workers.
While Texas might be nearly at the top of the list when it comes to total worker fatalities, it’s important to note that Texas also has far more workers than many other states. For reference, the national average for the number of worker fatalities per 100 equivalent full-time workers is 2.7 compared to Texas at 1.9.
All of this goes to show that, while Texas may not see as frequent worker accidents as some other states, workplace safety is still a major concern for the state, and the safety and rights of workers need to be carefully protected.
If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a Texas workplace accident, reach out to an Austin workplace injury lawyer for help seeking justice.
Source: KVUE