The Boring Company founded by Elon Musk features on the 'Dirty Dozen' list of workplaces with serious safety issues.
The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) is not a fan of the Boring Company, a tunnel digging business owned by Elon Musk. In their "Dirty Dozen" list of companies with poor workplace safety records, the Boring Company made an appearance. The company's workers claim that Musk is more focused on speed than safety and prioritizes profit over employee well-being.
In February 2020, the Boring Company received a fine of over $100K from the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for eight serious safety violations. OSHA defines these violations as those with a "substantial probability" of causing death or serious injury. OSHA's report revealed that around fifteen to twenty Boring Company employees were burned by chemicals while connecting hoses in June 2019. The harmful substances, which were meant to harden the concrete supports for the tunnels, splashed onto the workers and seeped through their clothing, resulting in painful burns, including one employee with permanently scarred arms and legs. There were no showers available for the injured workers, and the company didn't provide proper hazmat training or eye and face protection.
OSHA also discovered that one worker nearly ended up crushed last year when a tank containing toxic sludge, weighing around two tons, collapsed. The Boring Company was penalized with eight violations and a $112,000 fine, which they are contesting along with the requirement to resolve worker safety hazards.
Boring Company representatives did not respond to interview requests. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, however, released this statement: "The OSHA violations were brought to our attention by The Boring Company last summer. Those incidents were reviewed and addressed at that time. The LVCVA is committed to ensuring the well-being of anyone employed on any LVCVA project."
The list of the Dirty Dozen is created based on the level of safety risks, the frequency of repeat and severe violations, the size and standing of a company within its industry and the economy, and the existence of safeguards in place to prevent health and safety hazards.
Last week, a Clark County Commissioner accused the Boring Company of illegally dumping dirt and other materials excavated from their Vegas Loop underground tunnel project in a private Las Vegas property near the Strip. A week prior, the Boring Company was cited by Clark County for displaying support beams of the Las Vegas Monorail during grading operations. Neither of these new accusations were included in COSH's recent report.
The Vegas Loop was initially conceived as a hyperloop tube with the capability to accommodate up to 18 passengers travelling at 150 mph. But after the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority agreed to pay $48.6 million to the Boring Company to supervise and operate the project in 2019, it evolved into a series of tunnels throughout which conventional Teslas (not even self-driving ones) can travel, transporting three passengers at a time at a max speed of 35-40 mph.
Currently, the Vegas Loop connects four points at the Las Vegas Convention Center with Resorts World, with stations planned to open soon at Westgate and Wynn Las Vegas. Eventually, the system is planned to connect 69 or more stations, spanning from south of the Strip to downtown Las Vegas.
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Source: www.casino.org
