German carmaker BMW has been left humiliated after two workers on its assembly line passed out having smoked marijuana during a coffee break, costing the company in the region of $1 million.
The incident happened on March 3 but has only just been reported in Germany.
The two men – both Polish nationals – worked as exhaust fitters at BMW’s Munich plant.
According to Bild newspaper, the production line was unattended for about 40 minutes following the workers’ decision to have a cheeky smoke while working the late shift. Apparently they used their break to smoke the drug in their locker room.
It is said that the company experienced a significant loss in production during this short time frame, costing it at least $1 million.
When bosses worked out what was going on, an ambulance was called. One of the men was found to have a high amount of alcohol in his blood, while traces of the drug amphetamine were found in the other’s blood.
One of the men was transferred to a clinic for further treatment. BMW admitted a loss in production but claimed it was lower than had been reported.
The company said it was the first time such an incident had affected production.
One of the men has been sacked, the other has been relocated.