AUSTIN, Texas — Federal investigators have fined Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory nearly $50,000 for multiple safety violations following the electrocution of a contract worker last summer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued three ‘serious’ citations to Tesla, each amounting to about $16,000, after determining that the company failed to adequately protect workers from electrical hazards.
Victor Gomez Sr., a 46-year-old electrician, died last August while inspecting electrical panels that should have been de-energized. OSHA’s report highlighted that Tesla did not provide proper protective equipment, allowed employees to work near live circuits without safeguards, and failed to warn workers about dangerous power sources.
Rick Gleason, a former OSHA inspector, commented on the citations, saying, “They’ve got serious [level citations], and then the next step is repeat [level citations], and then the next step is willful [level citations]– so [Tesla is] still on step one, that’s why it’s only $16,000 per citation.” He added, “I would say that’s a pretty reasonable outcome for a very large company involving lack of lockout, tag out or exposure to electrical hazards in the workplace.”
The citations followed pressure from Austin-area Congressman Greg Casar, who questioned whether federal officials might overlook Tesla’s safety violations due to CEO Elon Musk’s influence in Washington…