Despite grand plans and promises, Elon Musk’s Boring Company’s tunnel project beneath the Las Vegas Strip faces numerous setbacks and safety concerns.
The Boring Company’s venture to construct tunnels beneath the Las Vegas Strip initially envisioned to connect hotels and the convention centre, has encountered significant hurdles. Workers labouring in these narrow tunnels endure subpar conditions, wading through the muck with the consistency of a milkshake and laced with chemicals known as accelerants. These chemicals, crucial for grout curing, pose serious risks, causing burns and permanent scarring to exposed skin.
The Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s investigation reveals a disturbing pattern of injuries and near misses, including instances where workers suffered chemical burns on their arms and legs, with one individual even sustaining a direct hit to the face. Despite these hazards, workers, fearing reprisals, remain anonymous when discussing their experiences.
Progress on the tunnels, intended to expand across the Strip and downtown Vegas, has been agonizingly slow, prompting scepticism from Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. Safety concerns loom large, with instances of near fatalities, such as an intern narrowly escaping being crushed by a collapsed concrete block bin overloaded with muck.
The Boring Company’s safety record is marred by multiple serious violations documented by OSHA, resulting in substantial fines. However, the company contests these findings, disputing the alleged violations and penalties imposed. Former employees allege that a disregard for worker safety overshadows the Company’s purported innovation in tunneling processes.
Boring Company faces formidable challenges as it strives to realize its ambitious tunneling projects. The stark realities of unsafe working conditions and regulatory violations raise questions about the Company’s commitment to worker welfare and the feasibility of its innovative tunneling methods touted by Musk.
