EV maker Rivian’s Normal, Illinois factory has racked up 16 initial serious violations in 21 months from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as reported by Bloomberg. Some of the injuries workers suffered include an amputated finger, vomiting “Rivian blue” bile after painting without protection, a cracked skull and a severe back laceration. The EV maker only operates a single factory. However, in the span of 21 months, it has accrued more violations than larger automakers like Honda, Volvo, and Ford.
These aren’t the only injuries, either. There are many other injuries that workers have allegedly never reported. Of note is Addison Zwanzig’s case, as she was ordered to paint vehicles without a respirator. She experienced vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and more within weeks and vomited the blue bile mentioned above. Only then was she provided a respirator, along with colleagues who were never issued one previously.
““The safety of everyone at Rivian is our top priority. We’re continually improving our processes and have not received any serious citations this year. It’s incredibly disappointing to see how Bloomberg has misrepresented the facts in this story,” a Rivian spokesperson told Engadget. “It’s incredibly disappointing to see how Bloomberg has misrepresented the facts in this story. Since January 2023, Rivian has received two serious OSHA citations. Initial citations should not be confused as final citations, and to suggest otherwise is incredibly misleading.”
Separately, Rivian told Bloomberg it provides employees with all necessary safety equipment. Workers can also approach supervisors with concerns or report them incognito. While Rivian’s safety and processes have improved since 2021, these recent injuries remain alarming.
Rivian has halted its plans to build its R2 SUV in Georgia, opting to build them in the Normal, Illinois plant instead. Despite these injury reports, the EV maker is still trying to hire more employees. However, with the OSHA breathing down its neck, the company may have to work even harder on protecting its workers, especially when the company is hesitant on allowing employees to unionize.
Correction 10/24 10:45AM ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Rivian “canned” its plans to build a new plant in Georgia. We’ve also updated the language in the first sentence to reflect that some of safety violations were initially deemed serious by OSHA. The agency later updated 14 of them to classify them as “Other Than Serious.”
Update 10/23 1:57PM ET: Added comment from Rivian.
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