Workers say Tesla was slow to respond to a bed bug infestation, and that after extermination, they were forced to work in an office that smelled heavily of chemicals and made them feel sick
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it has received dozens of complaints from workers at Tesla’s Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York, over who they now have to share the office with: bed bugs.
Workers at the plant, which produces the Tesla Solar Roof, Superchargers, and where Autopilot software engineering is performed, are calling it an infestation. They say the outbreak began on Thursday, November 9.
“It makes me feel like they’re treating people in general as not human,” a Tesla data analyst who asked not to be identified told WKBW. “I’m mainly concerned about holding them accountable for their lack of a swift response,” said another. Others have posted photos of dead bed bugs, and have filmed video of the insects walking over their feet.
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Indeed, OSHA said it has received dozens of calls about the alleged bed bug infestation at Tesla’s South Buffalo facility. However, it said that attempts to reach out to management at the location were unhelpful.
“Anytime we’d ask questions, [management] said they’re looking into it, but then, [they] never would get back to us,” a spokesperson for the organization told the news station.
Fortunately, that appeared to encourage management to take action, and hire an exterminator. Unfortunately, employees say that the solution may have been worse than the problem.
“You could tell there was a scent of chemicals in the air… There was various chairs that had a residue sprayed on the back of them,” an employee said. “It was white, it looked almost like a film on the backs of some people’s chairs and jackets, because there was no warning ahead of time.”
Employees say they were later informed that the chemical used was Steri-Fab, whose manufacturer say is safe for humans as soon as it dries, which usually takes around 15 minutes. Despite that, they complain that they suffered side effects from the product.
“Me and a few coworkers’ eyes started burning, they also got very puffy and I started to have some breathing issues,” an employee said. Others said they suffered dizziness, throat swelling, nausea, and burning eyes. They say they had to use their own vacation or sick time to avoid working in these conditions.
Unfortunately for them, an OSHA representative said that it doesn’t have specific workplace standards for bed bugs. However, it is looking into whether Tesla followed proper protocol for the chemicals it used.
Several Tesla employees are turning to @WKBW for help — frustrated over what they’re calling a bed bug infestation at Tesla Gigafactory 2 in South Buffalo
One Tesla employee shared this video of a bed bug she says was crawling on the floor of her workspace
Full Story at 6pm 📺 pic.twitter.com/jO6T7AI5VG— Derek Heid (@DerekHeid) November 15, 2023