Firefighters performing a safety drill at one of The Boring Company’s construction sites in Las Vegas received chemical burns. These injuries were caused by chemicals used in the tunnel excavation process. According to the report, the Clark County firefighters were not previously made aware of this potential hazard and were permanently scarred. Employees working on The Boring Company’s tunnels have also received similar chemical burns.
The Boring Company has been digging tunnels in Las Vegas for several years. The goal is to connect the entire city with a subterranean network that uses Tesla vehicles to shuttle people. This project represents the first major effort to realize a version of Elon Musk’s dream for underground transportation, which once included more ambitious ideas like hyperloops.
However, the project has been plagued by safety concerns and injuries since it began. Work was even temporarily halted after an employee suffered a crushing injury.
For years, Boring Company employees have been receiving burns from a specific chemical. This chemical is an accelerant used to harden the concrete tunnel walls. In late 2024, the Clark County Fire Department began conducting emergency rescue drills at the tunnels. During preparation for these drills, firefighters were apparently not informed about the burn hazard from the chemical, which mixes with groundwater and dirt to form pools of muck.
Although employees reportedly tried to clear this muck before the drills, they were not able to remove all of it. Firefighters experienced irritations on their legs because their boots were full of the muck. They were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for chemical burns. This incident prompted Nevada’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to open an investigation.
The Boring Company blamed the firefighters for the incident. A lawyer for the company stated that the key breakdowns in the training plan were committed by fire department employees, not their own.
Despite this, Nevada OSHA issued three serious citations to The Boring Company in May over the incident and proposed fines. On the same day the citations were issued, Boring Company president Steve Davis called the Nevada governor’s office. He spoke with the governor’s state infrastructure lead, who is a former Tesla employee. The following day, high-level state officials met with Davis and other company representatives.
This meeting was a highly unusual break from the normal citation process, according to former OSHA officials. Following this meeting, Nevada OSHA withdrew the citations. Furthermore, the state agency did not properly document the removal of the citations. A document in the case file was altered to remove evidence of the meeting between The Boring Company and the governor’s office. The information about the meeting was only added back after the alteration was pointed out.