Rivian Automotive (RIVN.US) has received a lot of market attention this week after at least 12 employees at its Illinois plant accused the electric carmaker of violating safety regulations, Zhitong Financial APP learned. These employees, in conjunction with the United Auto Workers (UAW), filed a complaint with the federal government, alleging that the company ignored known dangers and lowered the priority of safety resources. The list of employee injuries at the reference site included a crushed hand, a foot injury, an ear cut and a broken rib.

Rivian refuted the allegations in a statement, but declined to comment on specific complaints, citing employees' privacy concerns. A spokesman pointed out that complainants accounted for only 0.2 per cent of the factory's employees. OSHA statistics show that Rivian is ahead of its peers in terms of safety and health indicators.

Meanwhile, UAW is trying to form a union at Rivian's Rivian's Normal plant in Illinois.

As of press time, Rivian Automotive shares were down 1.55 per cent at $29.870 before trading, having fallen nearly 2 per cent at one point.