Electric vehicle maker Rivian's factory in Normal, Illinois, has racked up 16 initial serious violations in 21 months from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), it said. Bloomberg. Some of the injuries the workers suffered included an amputated finger, vomiting “Rivian blue” bile after painting without protection, a skull fracture, and a serious laceration to the back. The electric vehicle manufacturer only operates one factory. However, in the span of 21 months, it has racked up more violations than larger automakers like Honda, Volvo and Ford.
These aren't the only injuries either. There are many other injuries that workers allegedly never reported. It is worth highlighting the case of Addison Zwanzig, who was ordered to paint vehicles without a respirator. He experienced vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and more within weeks and vomited the aforementioned blue bile. Only then was he provided with a respirator, along with his colleagues who had never been provided with one before.
“The safety of everyone at Rivian is our top priority. We are continually improving our processes and have not received any serious citations this year. It is incredibly disappointing to see how Bloomberg has misrepresented the facts in this story,” a Rivian spokesperson said. Engadget. “It is incredibly disappointing to see how Bloomberg has misrepresented the facts in this story. Since January 2023, Rivian has received two serious citations from OSHA. The initial citations should not be confused with the final citations, and to suggest otherwise is incredibly misleading.”
On the other hand, Rivian said Bloomberg 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 halted plans to build its R2 SUV in Georgia and opted to build it at the Normal, Illinois plant. Despite these injury reports, the electric vehicle maker is still trying to hire more employees. However, with OSHA on its back, the company may have to work even harder to protect its workers, especially when the company is hesitant on allowing employees to unionize.
Correction 10/24 10:45 am ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Rivian “canned” its plans to build a new plant in Georgia. We also updated the language in the first sentence to reflect that some of the safety violations were initially considered serious by OSHA. The agency later updated 14 of them to classify them as “Other than serious.”
Update 10/23 1:57 pm ET: Added comment from Rivian.
