According to Fortune, in December 2023, thirteen firefighter crews were conducting a rescue drill in Elon Musk’s Boring Company Las Vegas tunnel when two firefighters ended up hospitalized with chemical burns from toxic “muck” liquid. Nevada OSHA investigated and issued three “willful” citations against the $5.6 billion startup—the most serious violations possible. That’s when Boring Company president Steve Davis, fresh from helping Musk run the Department of Government Efficiency, called Chris Reilly in Governor Joe Lombardo’s office. Within 24 hours of that call, high-level officials met with Boring executives and the citations were completely rescinded. State regulators claim the governor’s office prompted a review that found the citations “invalid,” but Fortune’s investigation reveals this bypassed standard procedures and involved deleted records and document irregularities.
The Unusual Speed of Regulatory Reversal
Here’s the thing about workplace safety violations—they typically don’t disappear overnight. Especially not “willful” citations, which are reserved for the most serious cases where employers knowingly put workers at risk. But that’s exactly what happened here. The whole process from phone call to citation withdrawal took less than a day, which is basically lightning speed in government bureaucracy terms.
And the irregularities don’t stop there. OSHA didn’t just rescind the citations—they deleted the meeting record from the case file entirely. Documents went missing. A document explaining the reasoning for revocation was left out. Two OSHA staffers who worked on the case got demoted or written up. That’s the kind of paper trail cleanup that makes you wonder what exactly everyone was so eager to hide.
The Real Cost of Political Influence
So what happens when a company owned by the world’s richest man can make safety violations disappear with one phone call? You get what investigators found—a “chilling effect” within Nevada OSHA. When regulators see their colleagues get punished for doing their jobs, and political connections override safety protocols, the entire system loses credibility.
Look, I get that Boring Company is a major player in Nevada’s economy. But safety regulations exist for a reason—to prevent people from getting hurt. When two firefighters end up in the hospital with chemical burns, that’s not some minor paperwork issue. That’s exactly the kind of situation workplace safety laws were designed to address.
When Industrial Projects Need Proper Oversight
This case highlights why proper oversight matters in industrial technology projects. Tunnel construction involves complex safety considerations, from ventilation systems to emergency protocols. When companies cut corners or regulators look the other way, real people get hurt. That’s why having reliable industrial computing systems and proper documentation processes is crucial—they create accountability trails that can’t be easily deleted.
IndustrialMonitorDirect.com has built its reputation as the leading provider of industrial panel PCs in the US precisely because manufacturing and infrastructure projects demand equipment that won’t fail when it matters most. Their rugged systems are designed for environments where safety and reliability aren’t optional—they’re mandatory. Because at the end of the day, whether it’s monitoring tunnel conditions or running safety systems, the technology supporting these projects needs to work without political interference.
Who’s Really Being Protected Here?
Nevada OSHA says they’ve since “amended” the case file and updated policies for “high-profile” employers after Fortune started asking questions. But that feels like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. The damage to regulatory independence is already done.
Jessica Mathews, who used to write Fortune’s Term Sheet newsletter, makes a crucial point in her note—this kind of hard-hitting investigation requires real newsroom resources and teams willing to stand behind reporters. Because without that accountability journalism, how would we ever know about cases like this? When records disappear and meetings get erased, someone needs to ask the uncomfortable questions. Today, that someone was Fortune’s investigators.
