The outlet Reveal from The Center for Investigate Reporting published an article alleging that Tesla failed to report some serious injuries at their plant in California, and puts a priority on production rather than safety.

In 2015 Tesla reported a total injury rate of 8.8 (per 100 workers) while the automobile industry total injury rate was reported at 6.7. That same year Tesla reported a serious injury rate of 7.9, the industry serious injury rate was reported as 3.9. In 2016 Tesla again reported injury rates higher than the industry, with an injury rate of 8.1 versus the industry 6.2, and a serious injury rate of 7.3 versus the industry serious injury rate of 4. In 2017 Tesla reported a lower total injury rate of 6.2 and a serious injury rate of 5.2, though the industry total and serious injury rates are not yet available. In 2017 Tesla recorded 722 injuries.

According to the article Tesla had not been reporting injuries suffered by temporary workers, but employees reported that started to change in 2017 and they have since amended 2016 injury reports to reflect those injuries.

The article discusses workers whose injuries were never recorded in official injury logs, or whose injuries were labeled as “personal medical issues” or “minor incidents requiring only first aid”. Other workers say there is a serious lack of safety signage and a notable lack of yellow warning or safety signs.

Tesla officials rebut the claims and say that Reveal is painting a false and misleading picture of the company. They say workers receive at least four days of training, though former safety lead Justine White told Reveal that new workers were often pulled out of training early to work the factory floor. Tesla also said that they have reduced their injury rate by 25 percent and say that they properly recorded injuries that Reveal had questioned as work-related. In the assembly line for their new Model 3 vehicle, Tesla says they emphasized ergonomic improvements to the line.

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has opened an investigation into the company and their plant in Fremont, CA. A Tesla statement said Cal-OSHA is required to investigate any claims that are made, and the company was investigated last year without any findings or violations.

Read the original article from Reveal