Staff at battery manufacturer Northvolt in Skellefteå are said to have handled toxic waste without protective equipment. Furthermore, some machines are said to have been electrified and managers attempted to prevent evacuations during fires, according to the newspaper Dagens Arbete.
The newspaper has spoken to several people who have worked or are working at the factory. Many have chosen to remain anonymous, but Siri Almqvist, who worked at the factory for over a year until 2023 and was a union representative for IF Metall and safety ombudsman, confirms the picture.
We became completely black all over our overalls, all over our bodies. And we had ordinary thin face masks. It stung in the throat and in the eyes, she says to the newspaper.
