Tesla Touts Improved Plant Safety

Tesla Inc. says the total recordable incident rate (TRIR) for safety at its Fremont, Calif., plant fell 25% to 6.2 per 100 workers in 2017.

The improvement puts the facility, which has been faulted for its poor safety performance in the past, on par with the U.S. average for a manufacturing plant, according to Tesla.

The company also asserts that last year’s TRIR is less than half the 12.6 rate Fremont averaged from 2003 to 2009 when it was operated as a joint venture between Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co.

Under Tesla, the plant had TRIRs of 8.8 and 8.1 in 2015 and 2016, respectively. These were about one-third higher than the industry average, which the United Auto Workers union has highlighted in its efforts to organize the plant. About 10,000 workers are employed at the Fremont plant.

Laurie Shelby, who was hired from Alcoa Corp. last October to lead Tesla’s environmental, health and safety activities, says nearly two-thirds of last year’s incidents involved ergonomic issues caused by repetitive tasks. She says the company expects to “significantly” reduce those issues as more of the plant’s operations become automated.

Tesla says it also has hired an in-house medical director, opened a manufacturing training center and initiated a new “return to work” program to help employees recover from an injury. The company also plans to deploy athletic trainers to work with employees on the line to address aches and pains before they become injuries. Shelby says employees also will be rotated among jobs more frequently.

Separately, Tesla reports it cut production hours per vehicle by one third in 2017. The company says its plant now builds more vehicles on two shifts with minimal time than it did previously with three shifts and significant overtime.