BUFFALO, N.Y. — Several Tesla employees are turning to 7 News for help -- frustrated over what they're calling a bed bug 'infestation' inside the Tesla Gigafactory 2 plant in South Buffalo.
One Tesla employee shared this video of a bed bug she says was crawling on the floor of her work space Monday.
Several Tesla employees are turning to @WKBW for help -- frustrated over what they're calling a bed bug infestation at Tesla Gigafactory 2 in South Buffalo
— Derek Heid (@DerekHeid) November 15, 2023
One Tesla employee shared this video of a bed bug she says was crawling on the floor of her workspace
Full Story at 6pm 📺 pic.twitter.com/jO6T7AI5VG
She’s looking for answers as to why the plant is still allowing her and her co-workers to work alongside these bugs.
“It makes me feel like they’re treating people in general as not human,” that Tesla data analyst said.
These employees are sharing their experiences anonymously because Tesla workers are required to sign non-disclosure agreements.
We have not included their names to protect their identities.
“I’m mainly concerned about holding them accountable for their lack of a swift response,” another Tesla data analyst said.
Workers say the outbreak began last Thursday.
I reached out to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after several employees contacted 7 News.
An OSHA spokesperson shared that the agency has actually received dozens of calls regarding bed bugs inside the South Buffalo factory.
“Anytime we’d ask questions, [management] said they’re looking into it, but then, [they] never would get back to us.”
I emailed and called Tesla to comment on these claims a total of nine times over the past two days but never received a single response.
Workers say chemicals were sprayed inside to kill the bugs, leaving this residue around the office.
“You could tell there was a scent of chemicals in the air… There was various chairs that had a residue sprayed on the back of them.”
“It was white, it looked almost like a film on the backs of some people’s chairs and jackets, because there was no warning ahead of time.”
The employees say they were later informed by managers and co-workers that the sprayed chemical was Steri-Fab.
According to the health documents provided to them, it can cause skin and eye irritation and is harmful if inhaled or touched.
However, the Steri-Fab website says that rooms are safe to enter 15 minutes after use of the product.
Still, these Tesla workers say they’re feeling side effects.
“Me and a few coworkers' eyes started burning, they also got very puffy and I started to have some breathing issues.”
Another worker sent a message saying “Many other workers including myself had symptoms of dizziness as well as throat swelling, nausea and burning eyes.”
These same workers shared that getting out of work has been tough.
They’ve had to use their own paid vacation or sick time to avoid these conditions.
“The chance of being around potentially toxic chemicals doesn’t make me feel comfortable.”
OSHA says that it's investigating all of this but doesn't have any specific workplace standards for bed bugs.
It's now looking into whether Tesla followed proper protocols for any chemicals used.
