Today, Tesla’s Gigafactory in the middle of the Nevada desert was plagued with disorder and men with hazmat suits were flooding the scene. The electric automaker’s battery factory, which is under construction outside of Reno, was incidentally struck with a chemical spill and handful of workers started feeling sick.
With emergency hazmat-clad workers on the scene, certain sections of the facility were then sealed off and ambulances also started making their way to the Gigafactory, reports local news publication KOLO 8 News. Several factory personnel who were feeling dizzy were transferred to the hospital but it is not sure of anyone been hospitalized. There were no serious injuries and the spill would not have any effect on the general public.
This is because Tesla has taken every possible precautionary measure and the spill does not involve any highly toxic solvent. As per an official statement about the incident, the spill involved only a 55-gallon drum of a cleaning agent used during standard constructions at the Gigafactory. The workers were feeling sick because the chemical seeped into the factory’s HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system. It’s reassuring that none of the workers were injured in this incident.
Here’s the complete statement from a Tesla spokesperson:
A drum of standard construction cleaning solvent was spilled at one of the Gigafactory loading docks this afternoon. Although this minor spill poses no threat to the public, per our safety protocols, we’ve evacuated a small portion of the building and alerted the authorities.
A cleanup crew is onsite and out of an abundance of caution, a couple of employees who may have been exposed are being transferred to the local hospital. There are no reports of serious injuries. We don’t expect any impact to production.
There is currently no word on how long it will take to clean the spill and when Tesla plans to re-open the sections of the Gigafactory which have been evacuated. This is only a minor accidental spill at the factory and isn’t expected to affect the production timeline — which is extremely important for the automaker.
The company is said to be involved in manufacturing lithium-ion battery packs for its upcoming power products and the affordable Model 3. The $35,000 electric vehicle is nearing an official launch and is expected to start shipping in a couple odd months. It is also expected to make its way to India around the same time, as confirmed by CEO Elon Musk himself.
