Musk Denies Tesla Robot Attacked Worker, Calls It an Accident
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According to a report by the UK's Daily Mail website on December 26, a brutal and bloody accident occurred at Tesla's factory near Austin, Texas, where an engineer was allegedly attacked by a robot.
Daily Mail report screenshot
According to the latest news, Musk responded to the incident on platform X, stating, The media dug up an injury caused by a simple industrial Kuka robotic arm two years ago (which all factories have) and implied it was caused by Optimus now. Shameful.
Tesla Robot Suddenly Attacks Human
Accused of Underreporting Workplace Injuries
According to reports, two witnesses were horrified to see their colleague attacked by a robot designed to grab and move newly cast aluminum car parts.
At the time, the engineer was writing software programs for two malfunctioning Tesla robots nearby when one suddenly pinned him down. The robot then extended its metal claws toward the engineer's back and arms, leaving a trail of 'bloodstains' on the factory floor.
The incident left the victim with an "open wound" on their left hand. Tesla's injury reports submitted to Travis County and federal regulators disclosed the event, which was reviewed by Daily Mail reporters.
Although Tesla did not report any other robot-related injuries to regulators in 2021 and 2022, concerns about the risks posed by automated robots in workplaces have been increasing over the years.
According to Cailian Press, workers' rights attorney Hannah Alexander further pointed out that Tesla apparently downplayed worker injuries to secure Texas and federal subsidies. Many workers she spoke with claimed their injuries were not included in the reports.
Beyond injuries caused by automation, Alexander also emphasized that since the Texas Gigafactory is enormous—equivalent to 100 football fields—it hasn't been fully completed, with only a portion operational. This half-finished factory state might be one reason why the facility's worker injury rate is higher than average.
Sources revealed that the rapid production facility at the Texas super factory, which took two years to build, has safety defects and has led to frequent workplace injuries.