Does Green Tech Innovation Put Workers' Safety at Risk?

We all know how green technology is transforming the planet for the better. It’s hailed as a game-changer in the fight against climate change, and there’s no denying its potential. But are the workers making this transition possible truly safe? Or is their well-being being sacrificed in the name of sustainability?

As demand for electric vehicles, solar panels, and other renewable technologies continues to grow, so does the pressure on the workers behind them. In factories, mines, and recycling plants, laborers often face harsh conditions, toxic exposure, and limited protection. While the world celebrates the shift toward sustainability, its hidden risk to human health and safety is being put to the sidelines.

Key Takeaways

• Workers in sectors like solar panel manufacturing and battery recycling face real health hazards, being directly exposed to toxic chemicals, poor ventilation, and insufficient protective gear.

• Many green technology jobs fall into regulatory gaps, leaving workers vulnerable to outdated or poorly enforced protections.

• Recycling and manufacturing carry hidden risks because the processes behind them, especially in developing or low-cost labor regions, often involve dangerous working conditions.

• OSHA and the EPA are adapting to address emerging risks in sustainable tech, offering essential protections for workers in fast-changing environments.

• Companies that proactively integrate safety with sustainability, not just as compliance but as a core value, are demonstrating that clean innovation and worker well-being can successfully coexist.

What Is Green Technology?

Green technology is the development and application of products, equipment, and systems used to conserve the natural environment and resources, minimizing the negative impact of human activities. These technologies span a wide range of industries, including renewable energy, electric transportation, and eco-friendly manufacturing. 

And because they promise sustainability, these sectors are expanding rapidly. In 2024 alone, the global green tech and sustainability market reached a value of $23.10 billion, with projections estimating it will grow to $79.65 billion by 2030 at an annual rate of 23.1%.

For instance, a company I visited last month has already fully transitioned to green technology, shifting their operations to electric fleets, renewable power sources, and low-emission manufacturing processes, in an effort to cut carbon output and address the escalating climate crisis. This kind of transition shows how several industries are adapting to the pressure for cleaner alternatives as they aim to reshape their workplaces at an unusual pace.

But behind this surge in innovation lies a lesser-known reality: the labor that powers green technology often takes place under hazardous conditions. Many workers face risks rarely acknowledged in the push for a cleaner future.

Occupational Risks Behind Green Technologies

I’ve read reports and inspection findings from regulatory agencies that shed light on the issue. What emerges is a deeper, often overlooked layer of the green tech industry, one where safety violations, chemical exposure, and hazardous conditions are more common than many realize. These real-world cases reveal how the push for clean innovation is sometimes built on unsafe labor practices that remain hidden from public view.

Fall Hazards at Residential Solar Installations

One of the most recent cases I came across was OSHA’s citation of a residential solar installation company for exposing workers to serious fall hazards at two separate job sites. According to the report, at least four workers were exposed at one of the sites alone.

The violations took place in Oak Park and Skokie, Illinois, where crews were installing rooftop solar systems without any fall protection, such as guardrails, harnesses, or safety nets. I reviewed OSHA’s inspection summary and discovered that workers were operating at heights of up to 18 feet without basic safeguards, just like the image below, which shows a clear breach of federal safety standards.

What stood out to me was that these weren’t isolated oversights. OSHA labeled the violations as repeat and serious, noting that the company had already been cited for similar issues in other states, including Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The total proposed fines exceeded $288,000, and it was a stark reminder that even in an industry celebrated for its role in sustainability, some of the most essential protections, like fall safety, are still being ignored.

A case like this is evidently preventable had the company made sure it followed the standards. OSHA specifically cited the company for failing to comply with standard 1926.501(b)(13), a well-established requirement for fall protection in residential construction.

As someone following these trends, I find it hard to reconcile the image of clean energy with repeated lapses in basic worker safety. The solar sector may be helping to power a greener future, but this case shows that without accountability, the people installing that future remain dangerously at risk.

Lithium-Battery Fire and Toxic Exposure

Another case I found happened in October 2023, featuring a lithium-ion battery fire eruption at a plant of a major electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer. This incident exposed 13 workers to hazardous inhalation risks. 

Investigators from the OSHA discovered that employees were not trained for the emergency, lacked proper respiratory protection, and were vulnerable to hydrofluoric acid vapors, a dangerous byproduct of lithium battery fires. As a result, several workers suffered potentially long‑term respiratory damage.

OSHA issued multiple serious safety citations and proposed $77,200 in fines. Violations included failure to:

• Prepare a full emergency-response plan covering toxic vapors

• Train both general and agency-supplied workers to recognize hazards

• Annually fit-test respirator facepieces

• Educate emergency responders on hydrofluoric acid risks

As I research further into the case, I also found that this wasn’t their first offense because just within the same year, between June and November, OSHA had fined the same plant over $75,000 for overexposing workers to nickel, cobalt, and manganese dusts, high noise levels, and missing safety controls.

Despite employing over 3,100 workers and serving as a Tier-1 supplier to major automakers, the company failed to meet fundamental safety standards. Its rapid expansion into EV battery production appears to have outpaced its ability, or willingness, to protect its workforce, revealing a widening gap between industrial innovation and human safety.

Battery Plant Fire and Airborne Hazards

This other case, though no physical harm was reported, left both workers and residents in a distressing state.

As one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery processing facilities, a plant in Fredericktown, Missouri, drew immediate attention when a massive fire broke out on October 30, 2024. The blaze triggered evacuations, prompted a response from several fire departments, and raised serious alarms about toxic chemical exposure.

Regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, acted quickly to monitor air quality and limit public exposure to substances such as hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide, and fine particulates.

The damage extended beyond the ecological. Nearby residents reported respiratory symptoms, increased anxiety, and PTSD-like stress in the days following the disaster. Several filed legal actions citing personal and property damage. For some, the event reopened old wounds: the town’s history of lead contamination fueled growing calls for stricter safety measures, environmental monitoring, and buffer zones around battery and cobalt facilities.

This incident reveals how clean-tech recycling, especially when rapidly scaled, can generate complex and compounding risks: from chemical explosions and air toxicity to water contamination and lasting psychological harm. It raises urgent questions about how and where we site these facilities, what protections are in place for both workers and communities, and whether green innovation is outpacing the safety systems meant to support it.

Regulations Covering Safety in Sustainable Tech Workplaces

Worker protection in sustainable tech workplaces often falls behind innovation, which is why the EPA and OSHA continue to apply and adapt their safety standards to meet the evolving demands of sustainable tech workplaces. Their frameworks that were built over decades offer strong guidance on hazard communication, chemical handling, respiratory protection, and environmental risk management, all of which are highly relevant in clean energy and recycling sectors.

While these industries may introduce new materials and processes, OSHA and EPA remain committed to monitoring working conditions, investigating incidents, and updating protocols when necessary. Their involvement ensures that innovation does not put workers’ safety at risk.

OSHA Regulations for Worker Safety

OSHA enforces workplace standards that apply across a wide range of industries, and though it doesn’t have exclusive regulations written for green technologies, many of its existing standards are highly applicable to the hazards found in these environments.

EPA’s Role in Environmental and Worker Safety

The EPA plays a complementary role by regulating how industrial processes interact with the broader environment, an area that also affects worker safety. Through its oversight of chemical use, air and water quality, and waste management, the agency contributes to maintaining healthy and secure conditions in sustainable tech facilities.

These regulations are mandated to promote health and safety in sustainable technology environments. However, it remains the responsibility of companies operating in green tech to uphold these standards and actively enhance their workplace safety practices.

Companies Pushing Toward a Safer Sustainability

After reviewing case after case, it made me wonder if there are companies striving to prove that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the expense of human well-being. And my research led me to several organizations that were able to put this goal within reach.

CooperVision

For the 13th consecutive year, the manufacturing facility has been recognized by the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association (PRMA) for its achievements in sustainability and occupational health safety. Unlike many facilities where safety is an afterthought to production efficiency, this site has managed to elevate both environmental stewardship and employee safety as core pillars of its operations.

Among the awards received, the PRMA President’s Award stands out. This honor is reserved for companies that maintain workplace injury and illness rates significantly below the national average, which is typically between 50% to 74% lower. This recognition reflects not just compliance, but a proactive safety culture built into daily operations, from rigorous hazard assessments to continuous employee training and well-implemented safety protocols.

In terms of sustainability, the facility earned the Platinum Recycling Award, which is granted to sites that divert at least 90% of their non-hazardous waste away from landfills. The organization implemented closed-loop recycling systems, streamlined material use, and embedded waste reduction into the production workflow, demonstrating that high-volume manufacturing doesn’t have to come at the expense of environmental responsibility.

The site’s broader environmental efforts have also earned it LEED Gold Certification and Zero Waste Certification, both of which require a holistic approach to energy efficiency, water conservation, emissions control, and sustainable material sourcing.

What makes this facility truly stand out is the way worker safety and sustainability are pursued in tandem and not as competing priorities. Employees benefit from safer working conditions, while the company actively reduces its environmental footprint. 

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)

India’s largest oil and gas exploration and production company was conferred with Greentech Workplace Safety Excellence Award 2024 for its Mehsana Centralized Treatment Facility (CTF). The award recognizes organizations that demonstrate outstanding leadership in fire, safety, health, and security management, combined with transparent accountability and strategic sustainability.

ONGC reinforced that recognition days later by being named a Distinction Winner at the British Safety Council’s International Safety Awards 2025, a global benchmark for proactive safety excellence across industries.

These awards were the result of several key practices and accomplishments:

• Comprehensive HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) systems implemented across operations, including risk assessments, safety training, and emergency preparedness.

• Distinction-level performance in health, safety, and wellbeing, as assessed by the British Safety Council's international evaluation process.

• Low incident rates, maintained over time through consistent hazard monitoring and preventive maintenance strategies.

• Strong workforce involvement, where safety programs are employee-inclusive, with regular training, feedback loops, and clear communication at all levels.

• Transparent reporting and continual improvement, reflecting a long-term commitment to not only meeting but exceeding national and international safety standards.

These recognitions underscore what a mature, disciplined approach to safety can look like, even in complex, high-volume industrial operations.

Engineering Real Sustainability

Green tech isn’t green if it poisons the people building it. With strong regulatory frameworks from OSHA and the EPA, along with growing industry awareness, the tools to protect workers are already in place. What’s needed now is consistent implementation, continuous training, and a culture that treats worker safety as a core value and not an afterthought.

Companies can protect their workers and push forward in building trust, resilience, and long-term operational strength if they invest in proactive safety measures, embrace compliance, and learn from both successes and past incidents. Sustainability should lift everyone, not sacrifice the vulnerable.

FAQs

What is considered a high-risk work environment?

A high-risk workplace involves exposure to physical, chemical, or electrical hazards, which is common in fast-growing sectors like battery production and solar installation.

What are the hazards of green jobs?

Workers may face toxic fumes, high-voltage components, fall risks, and inadequate ventilation depending on their role in clean energy production or recycling.

Who is most at risk in the green tech labor force?

Frontline workers, especially those in manual or subcontracted roles, are more likely to face health and safety risks due to direct exposure and fewer safeguards.

What role does training play in green tech workplace safety?

Proper training helps workers recognize hazards, use protective gear correctly, and respond to emergencies, making it key to preventing injuries and long-term harm.

How can green technology harm the environment?

Without proper controls, mining, manufacturing, or disposal of clean tech materials can pollute water, soil, and air, undermining the benefits of sustainability.

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