An incident involving a hazardous material spill at Tesla’s Gigafactory, outside of Reno, Nevada, is under the microscope, after emergency crews were alerted.
According to Reuters, citing the company’s spokesperson, Dave Arnold, a drum of “standard construction cleaning solvent” was spilled onto a loading dock at the battery plant.
The Country’s Emergency Operations Director for the Fire Department’s hazardous materials team, Joe Curtis, responded to the call and confirmed to RGJ that “there’s no threat to the public, there’s no plume, it’s in an isolated area near a vehicle”.
Following the safety protocols, Tesla evacuated a small portion of the building, and a few employees, who could have been exposed to the chemical, have been transferred to the hospital. About nine of them reported symptoms such as upset stomachs, Curtis explained.
The incident was confirmed by Tesla’s spokesman, who issued a statement: “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 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.“
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