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1/ A new whistleblower tells us how @Tesla pressured its doctor to change medical determinations for employee injuries.
She said the doctor went along with the company’s wishes. revealnews.org/article/how-te…
She said the doctor went along with the company’s wishes. revealnews.org/article/how-te…
2/ We’ve already reported that @Tesla burnished its safety record by hiding workers’ injuries ... revealnews.org/article/tesla-…
3/ ... And we’ve reported on the company’s troubled on-site clinic, whose practices are unsafe and unethical, according to five former employees. revealnews.org/article/inside…
4/ But there’s another incentive for falsely dismissing these incidents: It saves money on workers’ comp.
5/ Dr. Basil Besh’s clinic was struggling financially, and he wanted Tesla’s business. So he’d overrule his medical staff to call a factory injury not related to work, a whistleblower said.
“He got the priorities messed up,” she said. “It’s supposed to be patients first.”
“He got the priorities messed up,” she said. “It’s supposed to be patients first.”
6/ He now runs Tesla's factory clinic.
7/ Here’s what this looks like in practice: Bill Casillas says he suffered an electrical shock at Tesla’s seat factory. Multiple doctors diagnosed him with an electrical injury. documentcloud.org/documents/5026…
8/ But when Tesla pushed the clinic to reverse course, it got what it wanted.
One of the clinic’s doctors dismissed his injury, which saved Tesla money and left him without workers’ comp. That doctor later lost his license.
One of the clinic’s doctors dismissed his injury, which saved Tesla money and left him without workers’ comp. That doctor later lost his license.
9/ It’s illegal to for employers to fraudulently deny a workers’ comp claim – or discourage workers from pursuing them.
10/ By law, companies also have to provide a workers’ comp claim form to employees within one day of learning of their injury.
But that doesn’t always happen at Tesla, either.
But that doesn’t always happen at Tesla, either.
11/ Vicki Salvador broke a bone in her hand at the factory. Stephon Nelson injured his back after a car part fell on him. Both said they tried and failed to get a workers’ comp claim form. 
12/ But Tesla keeps singing the praises of Besh and his clinic. On an earnings call in November, a safety VP said it provides “the absolute best care for our associates.”
13/ Meanwhile, CEO @elonmusk promised “really immediate first-class healthcare available right on the spot, when people need it.”
14/ This is part of our ongoing look at worker safety at @tesla.
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