And do you think this changes safety standards, which was this the original claim? It may change reporting standards, but whether one workplace is safer than the other probably depends on the perceived risk to the company in either place. Is it costlier to have American lawyers sniffing for blood in your factory, or the German bureaucracy processing reports for paper cuts and lost limbs alike? I’m not making a claim one way or another, just that more info is needed in this conversation.

Well, that has no effect on the standards themself, just the onus of execution. So it's a moot point. That being said the government will step in when things are obviously non-conforming, if you'd rather just report them. Which is the case for Tesla.

As to your latter point, labor suits are pretty heavily in favor of the worker and it's not hard to find a lawyer who will take a case on concession. Fees are also capped, delayed to completion and generally on the losing party to cover. So "the barrier" is as low as you want to consider the solidity of the case.

Considering worker's comp and civil suit structuring are the two pieces of legislation that are most heavily attacked by corporations in California, I wouldn't consider them ineffective; it's certainly a matter of perspective, however.