There have been a minimum of 41 fatalities in incidents involving robots, and certain researchers express concerns that the situation may deteriorate with the increasing automation of factories.

Two years ago, a Tesla worker was reportedly assaulted by a robot at the company’s Austin factory, resulting in injuries and bleeding on the factory floor.

The incident was part of a series of events at Giga Texas, a crucial facility in Tesla’s pursuit of manufacturing a sub-$25,000 electric car, as detailed in a recent report.

The injuries highlighted in the report by tech news outlet The Information provide a rare glimpse into a typically concealed aspect of the U.S. workplace.

It serves as a cautionary tale of the potential future landscape as automation continues to play a prominent role in manufacturing.

In 2021 at Giga Texas, an engineer unknowingly worked on three robots, unaware that only two were deactivated, according to The Information, citing two unidentified witnesses.

The third robot continued moving, trapping the engineer against a surface, causing injuries. The engineer was freed when a co-worker pressed an emergency stop button, and the injured individual fell down a scrap-metal chute, leaving a trail of blood.

This inspection occurred most recently after a complaint from a workers’ center about a subcontracted worker’s heat-related injury at the Tesla factory, as reported by The Information.

In contrast, Tesla’s Fremont, Calif., factory underwent nine safety inspections per year in 2021 and 2022, and four inspections in 2023, according to the outlet.

Reports submitted to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) indicate a elevated injury rate at Giga Texas.

Last year, nearly one in 21 workers were reported injured, notably surpassing the median injury rate of one in 30 workers in the automotive industry.

Claims from current and former Tesla workers suggest that the company frequently makes concessions in construction, maintenance, and operations, potentially jeopardizing the safety of employees.