In a shocking incident at Tesla's factory in Austin, Texas, a software engineer sustained serious injuries when he was attacked by a malfunctioning robot. Witnesses reported that the robot, designed to handle aluminum car parts, pinned the engineer and inflicted wounds on his back and arm, leaving a trail of blood on the factory floor. The incident, which occurred two years ago, highlights concerns about worker safety and lapses in protocols at the facility, as revealed in injury reports submitted to federal officials and health authorities in Travis County.

The engineer, responsible for programming software that controlled the robots used to cut car parts, was working alongside his crew when the incident took place. While two of the robots were intentionally disabled to allow for maintenance work, a third was inadvertently left on, leading to the attack. The reported injury included a "laceration, cut, or open wound" on the engineer's left hand, although it did not necessitate time off from work.

Tesla, however, declined to comment on the matter. The incident has raised concerns regarding the overall safety record at the Giga Texas factory. Injury reports submitted to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) alleged that nearly 1 in 21 workers at the facility experienced injuries last year, surpassing the median injury rate of 1 in 30 workers in the automotive industry.

Insiders at Tesla claimed that the company often compromised on construction, maintenance, and operational standards, putting workers at risk. Reports of heavy machinery, including a crane, steel beam, and air conditioning duct, falling near workers on the production line, as well as instances of workers falling ill after being exposed to toxins like ammonia, have raised concerns about safety lapses linked to the management's emphasis on rapid production.

The Information, the news site that obtained the injury report, also disclosed other incidents involving Tesla employees. These included an employee getting their ankle caught under a moving cart, resulting in over four months of missed work, and another worker being struck in the head by a metal object, leading to an 85-day absence from work.

Several Tesla employees at the Austin factory reported witnessing forklifts colliding with workers on the assembly floor, further highlighting the risks faced by workers in the production environment. Additionally, a dangerous explosion occurred in the castings area that produces the underbody of Tesla's Model Y, caused by water being mistakenly submerged in molten aluminum. The explosion created a ball of fire and smoke, terrifying employees who fled the area. Unfortunately, specific information regarding the number of injuries resulting from the explosion remains unknown.

The construction of Tesla's Austin factory began in 2020 as Elon Musk aimed to expand operations after facing limitations in California due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility, which officially became the automaker's headquarters in late 2021, is still under construction. Tesla plans to employ 60,000 people at the completed facility and aims to produce 20 million cars annually by 2030. The construction project is estimated to cost Tesla up to $10 billion.

The recent incident involving the malfunctioning robot adds to the growing concerns about worker safety at Tesla's Austin factory. With OSHA reports highlighting a higher-than-average injury rate, it remains to be seen how the company will address and rectify these safety concerns moving forward.