investigated Tesla for the death of a worker

The day had to come when Personal interests of Elon Musk They will collide with their Commitment to cut out in the US administration at the head of Doge (Department of Government Efficiency). That day has arrived.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), which is equivalent to the Labor Inspection in Spain, is investigating the death of a worker in Tesla Gigafactoría in Fremont, but has refused to make public The investigation not to reveal the identity of the complainants. At the same time, Doge is analyzing What officials say goodbye To save costs, so Osha’s officials are feeling the pressure of giving bad news to the CEO of Tesla and that is firm their dismissal order.

Research in Tesla. In August 2024, Víctor Gómez, an employee of a company subcontracted by Tesla, died electrocuted while performing maintenance in electric panels of the Texas Gigafactory. According to his family’s complaint, the company did not deactivate energy systems during the review that Gomez was going to make, which caused the fatal accident.

As usual, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), under the Labor Department, initiated an investigation that confirmed the violation of the security standards by Tesla, such and as confirmed Reuters.

Institutional silence and suspicions. Although OSHA closed the investigation in February 2025 and issued judicial citations against Tesla, the complete results have not been made public, an unusual procedure since, as has happened in previous labor inspections That has had Tesla, the investigation has been made public.

As published by Reuters, the sudden opacity by Osha has coincided with the Doge campaign to cut personnel in government agencies. The Labor Department is one of the 15 agencies that Musk has put at your point of view Since Donald Trump put him in front of Doge.

Greg Casar, congressman of the district where the event occurred, demanded transparency to Osha sending a letter A Scott Ketcham, deputy secretary of the agency: “Americans have the right to know if Tesla and their contractors put at risk the life of a man and if Tesla will follow the safety standards in the workplace in the future,” Casar wrote.

A stone in Tesla’s shoe. It is not the first time that Osha fine to Tesla for putting the health of her workers at risk. In 2023, the company was sanctioned with $ 7,000 for exposing its workers to Hexavalent chromea carcinogenic substance used in the Cybertruck manufacturing process.

As published ForbesTesla would already accumulate 29 complaints and $ 400,000 in fines Since 2021. Space X is not far behind the number of incidents in its facilities. An investigation of Reuters He revealed 600 injuries not reported at the company’s Texas plant, registering an accident rate six times higher than the average of its sector.

Damocles’s sword on his heads. David Michaels, professor at the Public Health School at George Washington University and Osha director during Obama’s mandate, warns that Doge You will have access to confidential files of complainants and officials of that agency. That raises an important deterrence in denouncing irregularities since Doge could access that information. “If you know that your name will not be secret, you will think twice before informing about something”, He pointed out Professor a The Newyorr

With the Doge pointing to the Labor Department, a clearing arises Conflict of interest: the same person who directs the fouched companies, controls the future of the organism that regulates them and its officials.

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Image | (Trevor Cokley), Tesla