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The Federal Aviation Administration spent nearly a year investigating Boeing’s safety culture, uncovering a problematic workplace culture that made it difficult to report safety issues.
The FAA released its findings Monday in a scathing 50-page report detailing 27 areas where Boeing’s safety procedures and culture were deficient.
Congress commissioned the report following several fatal Boeing Max jet crashes in 2018 and 2019.
The report comes at a particularly turbulent time for Boeing after a door plug on one of its 737 Max 9 planes blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight.Recently decided National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report The bolts holding the door in place were not installed before the plane took off on January 5th, or This was before it was delivered by Boeing.
From March 2023 to February 2024, an FAA task force reviewed Boeing documents, visited facilities, and interviewed employees at all levels to determine the strength of the company’s safety culture. . They specifically focused on engineering employees whose job is to make sure the company complies with FAA guidelines, under an agreement granted by the FAA in 2009 that allows Boeing to self-certify its aircraft. I guessed it.
Here are just some of the more damning findings outlined in the FAA report.
The FAA said there were serious deficiencies in Boeing’s safety management system.
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The panel found that the same bosses who controlled employees’ pay also oversaw their safety concerns, creating a culture where employees were afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation.
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Panel of experts found that many Boeing employees at all levels within the company did not have a clear understanding of the company’s safety culture initiatives and procedures, nor did they understand their objectives. did. Staff also did not know their role in the safety management system and were skeptical about the system’s sustainability.
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The commission said it failed to identify a consistent and clear process for employees to report safety concerns. Not only did employees not know how and when to use the appropriate reporting channels, they chose not to use them at all. Instead, they simply brought their concerns to their manager, with no systematic way to address and resolve their concerns.
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Experts said Boeing’s safety management system documentation was overly complex and constantly changing, creating a culture of confusion among employees.
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Boeing has not been successful in hiring key staff to oversee the self-certification process and has not been able to fill vacant positions quickly enough. said the panel.
The report orders Boeing to develop an action plan within the next six months to “comprehensively address each of the recommendations.”
The FAA made a total of 53 recommendations on how the company could not only improve its lackluster safety practices, but also raise them to legal requirements.
In a statement sent to Business Insider, Boeing said it has implemented a number of “fundamental changes” since 2019 to “strengthen product safety,” but that “there is still work to do.” ” he added.
“We will carefully consider the committee’s assessment and learn from its findings as we continue our comprehensive efforts to improve our safety and quality programs,” the statement continued.