given the scrutiny around Tesla, it’s interesting this story doesn’t seem to have come out sooner since this is a fairly novel workplace accident
I’m an engineer who works in an industrial environment, and I regularly have to repair or reprogram hazardous equipment. Here are a few takeaways I got from the descriptions of the Tesla incident:
- Lockout/tagout was not being respected. If you don’t have a lock, yank the fuse and stick it in your pocket. But whatever you do, when working on a machine, you must maintain exclusive control so nobody activates it while you’re inside the approach boundary.
- Why was the engineer in the approach boundary for a “software update?” I feel like I’m missing some important context there.
- Where were the hazard indicators? A hazardous device needs sound or light indicators, so nobody forgets they left it plugged in.
- Where was the machine guarding? If it can kill you, entering the hazardous area should shut the machine off with or without LOTO. I’m partial to interlocked gates, but cordons and light curtains are popular for a reason.
- If the machine guarding was disabled, where were the observers? The last time I activated a machine with the light curtains overriden, I had three other engineers on standby, one at the E-Stop, one with a rescue hook, and one just to watch.
In addition, while some companies try to blame workwrs for recordable incidents, safety is always ultimately management’s responsibility. Safety controls or procedures missing? That’s management’s fault. Workers disabling safety controls out of malice or hubris? Managment is at fault for hiring them. Workers so overworked and tired they don’t notice mistakes while operating lethal equipment? Management. Workers having to choose between having a job and doing it safely? Management. Lack of safety culture? Management.
With power comes responsibility, and in modern corporations, management has all the power.
Why are we building robots with claws?? That seems like a bad idea.
Yes. If someone is poor, they have to spend more energy in the day. It’s spent on stress, bad food, drugs (including alcohol), domestic problems, doing chores that could be solved with money, and at worst, working a second job or in the gig economy. Stressed, hungry, exhausted people sleeping on bad mattresses get worse sleep and stay tired.
And you CANNOT mind your safety to the proper degree if you’re exhausted. It’s not a question of wanting to, it’s a question of what’s physically possible.
Fun fact, back in 2018, Tesla factories have less safety signs and signals because Elon Musk hates yellow (so no safety tape telling people where not to stand) and cannot stand the beeping noise forklifts make when they reverse.
Source: https://revealnews.org/article/tesla-says-its-factory-is-safer-but-it-left-injuries-off-the-books/
Absolutely baffled how more people aren’t killed at Tesla factories, tbh.
Is this the same Tesla plant that has no caution stripes because Elon hates yellow and black? Or the one that violated EPA regulations? Not surprised in the slightest
