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California agency is probing Tesla for occupational safety

Key Points
  • Tesla is being probed by a California agency for occupational safety.
  • The investigation follows a report that the electric carmaker failed to disclose serious injuries at a Fremont factory.
  • A Tesla spokesman said regulators are required to investigate any claims, whether they have merit or are baseless.
Workers assemble cars on the line at the Tesla's factory in Fremont, California.
David Butow | Corbis | Getty Images

Tesla is being probed by a California agency for occupational safety after a report that the electric carmaker failed to disclose serious injuries at a Fremont factory.

The state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA) disclosed the inspection on Wednesday, two days after news website Reveal said that Tesla's omissions in legally mandated reports made its safety record appear better than it was.

The probe began on Tuesday, Erika Monterroza, spokesperson for Cal/OSHA, said. The agency typically reviews an employer's log of work-related injuries and illnesses to make sure that serious injuries are reported directly to the administration within eight hours, she added.

A Tesla spokesman said Cal-OSHA is required to investigate any claims, whether they have merit or are baseless.

"We have never in the entire history of our company received a violation for inaccurate or incomplete injury record-keeping," he said in an emailed statement.

The injury rate at the Fremont factory, which it had taken over from General Motors and Toyota Motor, is half what it was in its final years under the previous owners, the spokesman added.