by Dana Hull http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25677719/exclusive-tesla-motors-faces-89-000-fines-incident
Yeah this seems reasonable. Hopefully Tesla has corrected the hazard and will start taking health and safety more seriously in the future.
I hope its over but I don't think so in this lawsuit-happy country. If I spent 20 days in a hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns I might hire a lawyer too. Tesla will have to pay a lot more for this one before its over folks.
Agreed. The fines might be reduced - but its the work comp settlements that are going to cost a bit. Temporary disability for a bunch of them, probably some with permanent disability from burns/scars and psych. Of course, the work comp insurance is going to pay that out, not Tesla.
My understanding is that all three workers have long since returned to work. I'd imagine all their medical expenses were paid for by Tesla along with any other costs. If you recall, Elon Musk was at the hospital visiting. I'm quite sure he saw to it that the employees and their families were well looked after.
Well I'm not saying they weren't taking it seriously before, but clearly there's room to be more serious about it. Not providing the workers with proper PPE and having no equipment inspection policy is a pretty glaring and obvious oversight that suggests that Tesla was talking H&S a little too lightly. Whilst I'm not demonising Tesla for making a mistake (I totally understand how it happened, Tesla is a very young manufacturer who is growing very quickly), I am advocating that they learn from it.
Ultimately Tesla bears the costs. If the site has too many injuries and work comp payouts, insurance premiums for business go up.