Tesla factory where worker died had safety weakness

Government inspectors concluded Tesla Inc.’s Shanghai factory where an employee died in a Feb. 4 accident has weaknesses in its safety measures, news reports said Wednesday.

The emergency bureau of Shanghai’s Pudong district recommended an unspecified penalty for Tesla, the business news magazine Caixin and other outlets reported. They cited a copy of the report posted on the city government website.

The report was removed from the website Wednesday. An employee of the emergency agency who would give only his surname, Wu, said Tesla asked for the report not to be made public because it contained photos of its production process.

The investigation concluded the Tesla employee who died failed to follow rules and didn’t lock a safety gate, according to the news reports. They said another employee failed to make sure the area was clear of people before turning on equipment that crushed the 31-year-old employee, who died later at a hospital.

Posts that circulated Monday on Chinese social media and purported to be from Tesla employees complained their bonuses were cut due to the fatality. They appealed to CEO Elon Musk.

Musk said on Twitter on Monday, “Was alerted this weekend. Looking into it.”

Tesla didn’t respond Wednesday to requests by email for comment.

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