Elon Musk running sweat shop?

[*michaelsean*]

(05-20-2017, 10:21 AM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: You get used to them like most things.

Yeah you have to cange your mindset going in I suppose.

[SunsetBengal]

Found this nice little follow up article. Not saying those long hours are causation, but definitely some correlation.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/serious-injuries-tesla-plant-double-industry-average-report-012917246.html

Quote:Total injuries at the plant are a third higher than the industry average, the report said.
The United Auto Workers (UAW), the industry's largest union in the United States, commissioned the report.
It uses data from 2015, the last year for which industry-wide comparative figures are available.
The rate of serious injuries -- those involving job transfers or missed days -- was 7.9 per 100 workers, compared to the industry average of 3.9, Worksafe wrote.
The data -- which compared injury rates among auto assembly workers, not suppliers -- also found a recordable total incidence rate of 8.8 injuries per 100 workers, compared to 6.7 for the industry as a whole.

[Au165]

(05-25-2017, 10:43 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Found this nice little follow up article.  Not saying those long hours are causation, but definitely some correlation.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/serious-injuries-tesla-plant-double-industry-average-report-012917246.html

Doesn't look like a follow up but rather an article that is disconnected from the first one. Your first article mentions Musk acknowledging that things weren't great in the past but they have moved to 3 shift set ups and have recently met the same injury rates as the industry average. This second article uses data from a year and a half ago to try and position the working environment today.

[SunsetBengal]

(05-25-2017, 03:54 PM)Au165 Wrote: Doesn't look like a follow up but rather an article that is disconnected from the first one. Your first article mentions Musk acknowledging that things weren't great in the past but they have moved to 3 shift set ups and have recently met the same injury rates as the industry average. This second article uses data from a year and a half ago to try and position the working environment today.

If you read the article, certainly you noticed where they said that 2015 was the most recent year that they had statistics for, right?

[Au165]

(05-25-2017, 05:08 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: If you read the article, certainly you noticed where they said that 2015 was the most recent year that they had statistics for, right?

Sure, but it then tries to frame it as if that is relevant today. The first article references recent changes and a move to a three shift setup, something the older article doesn't even mention. If they had titled it "nearly a year and a half ago, Tesla double serious injury rate of industry" then it would be true, but no one would click because it isn't relevant. I trust Musk if he says they have come a long way as he is the same guy who said their stock is insanely over valued and should not be worth nearly what it is. The guy tends to be honest even to his own detriment at times.

[SunsetBengal]

(05-25-2017, 05:26 PM)Au165 Wrote: Sure, but it then tries to frame it as if that is relevant today. The first article references recent changes and a move to a three shift setup, something the older article doesn't even mention. If they had titled it "nearly a year and a half ago, Tesla double serious injury rate of industry" then it would be true, but no one would click because it isn't relevant. I trust Musk if he says they have come a long way as he is the same guy who said their stock is insanely over valued and should not be worth nearly what it is. The guy tends to be honest even to his own detriment at times.

You may want to re-read both.  The second article clearly cites quotes by Musk in the previous article with The Guardian.

[Au165]

(05-25-2017, 05:37 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: You may want to re-read both.  The second article clearly cites quotes by Musk in the previous article with The Guardian.

I saw they chose to quote some, but not where they noted the shift to 3 shifts as well as getting up to industry standards this year. As I said they are spinning a narrative that, while true in 2015, is counter intuitive to what has been noted recently.

From first article

"The company did release more recent data, which indicates its record of safety incidents went from slightly above the industry average in late 2016, to a performance in the first few months of 2017 that was 32% better than average. The company said that its decision to add a third shift, introduce a dedicated team of ergonomics experts, and improvements to the factory’s “safety teams” account for the significant reduction in incidents since last year."

[SunsetBengal]

(05-25-2017, 05:48 PM)Au165 Wrote: I saw they chose to quote some, but not where they noted the shift to 3 shifts as well as getting up to industry standards this year. As I said they are spinning a narrative that, while true in 2015, is counter intuitive to what has been noted recently.

From first article

"The company did release more recent data, which indicates its record of safety incidents went from slightly above the industry average in late 2016, to a performance in the first few months of 2017 that was 32% better than average. The company said that its decision to add a third shift, introduce a dedicated team of ergonomics experts, and improvements to the factory’s “safety teams” account for the significant reduction in incidents since last year."

But even Tesla's stats for '16 and first few months of '17 are compared to 2015 stats, as 2015 is the most recent year for industry wide stats to be compiled and available.

I'm not knocking Musk as a business man and industry pioneer, I believe that his product is revolutionary.  I wish that I could afford to purchase one of his cars.  What I think he should really do?  Instead of riding his production workers like borrowed mules, is to ramp up the pressure on his engineering team to come up with a model that is affordable to median income Americans.  Then, he can afford to open many factories and take a significant chunk of the auto industry.