The future Ford EV battery site in Kentucky – otherwise known as BlueOvalSK Battery Park – has officially been under construction for a little over a year now, but recently faced some revisions due to a slowdown in demand for EVs. Ford will still build two EV battery plants at the site – but it will only operate one starting in 2025, at least for now, meaning that the automaker will also hire 2,500 workers rather than the 5,000 it originally planned. Now, BlueOvalSK Battery Park is facing another dilemma, albeit of a different nature – a mold issue, according to WDRB.
According to a private environmental analysis, several electricians and tradespeople working on the future Ford EV battery plants have become sick with headaches and respiratory issues, which prompted the response, at which point a “significant” amount of mold was found. The mold was found both in the air and on wooden crates shipped from Korea containing factory equipment, at which point an environmental contractor recommended a mold protocol be put in place as soon as possible to protect workers.
Now, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is conducting an investigation into the matter, but officials on-site are already working to rectify the issue and noted that the environment isn’t unsafe to work in by any means. The mold found is “not hazardous,” according to Mike Gies, executive vice president for Louisville-based Abel Construction, a contractor working on the BlueOval project, and isn’t significant enough to stop work at the site.
Regardless, Gies also noted that a mold remediation company will treat the site “in the near future,” and the company has posted notice at every entrance to ensure contractors are aware of the situation. “I have went above and beyond tenfold to ensure the employees’ safety,” he said. Additionally, the wooden crates are being disassembled and treated to remove the mold in the meantime.
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Comments
I think they have more of a demand problem…..
We’ve had that with wood crates from China….some freight forwarder leaves them in a gravel lot that gets flooded during a storm and then by the time it makes it to you……nasty
Carbon monoxide poisoning is worse than the mold and the powers that be don’t seem interested,just hurry up and get the job done
Another gift from our friends over seas. Pretty soon all the Ford’s will be communicating with China like TikTok!