The Brandenburg state government has rejected the serious allegations from the opposition regarding the lax handling of accidents at the US car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide. “There was and is no discount for Tesla – on the contrary,” said Social Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens). “No construction site, no company has been inspected as thoroughly as Tesla.” There have been more than 130 checks since 2020. She admitted that there were more accidents at Tesla than at established car manufacturers, but pointed to the parallel nature of the large construction site and production in Grünheide.
The parliamentary group leader of the Left, Sebastian Walter, had accused the government of drawing too few consequences from accidents at work and of helping to cover them up. “They don’t care about occupational safety and the environment, they don’t care about people,” Walter said. “They’re rolling out the red carpet for Elon Musk.” The parliamentary group leader of the Brandenburg United Citizens’ Movements/Free Voters, Péter Vida, said: “For far too long, far too many in the state government have sought an infantile closeness to the richest man in the world.” He accused the government of “solving the problem through a cover-up.”
According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, seven serious work accidents have occurred in the Tesla factory in Grünheide since 2021. The ministry did not classify the numbers as unusual and referred to regular checks. The star reported a striking number of reportable work accidents – between June and November 2022 there were 190. The minister confirmed the number. According to the State Environment Agency, there have also been 26 environmental accidents since it opened in March 2022. The company had rejected concerns and said that occupational safety was a top priority and that no environmental incidents had caused any environmental damage.