Source: AFP
Boeing employees are confused and skeptical about changes to the aerospace giant’s safety reporting systems following deadly plane crashes in 2018 and 2019, according to a US report released Monday.
The report pointed to a “disconnect” between the company’s senior management and other Boeing employees and skepticism that safety complaints by workers would not lead to retaliation, according to a panel of experts appointed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). .
“Procedures and training are complex and constantly changing, creating confusion for workers especially between different sites and groups of workers,” an executive summary said.
The analysis comes as Boeing faces intense scrutiny after an emergency landing by Alaska Airlines on Jan. 5 that led to the temporary grounding of some Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
The US Congress ordered the analysis into law in 2020 after the deadly crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airline 737 MAX planes. The scope of the report did not include the Alaska Airlines incident, although the summary cited “serious quality issues” that emerged during the report that “heightened” the committee’s concerns.
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The analysis identified 27 areas of concern and offered 53 recommendations, including measures to standardize safety training, improve transparency in handling employee complaints, and improve systems to give pilots more say in safety and training.
The FAA plans to “immediately” conduct a review to determine next steps, the agency said.
“We will continue to hold Boeing to the highest safety standards and work to ensure that the company fully addresses these recommendations,” the FAA said.
Boeing thanked the committee and said it will “carefully review the committee’s assessment and learn from its findings,” according to a company statement.
“We have taken significant steps to foster a safety culture that empowers and encourages all employees to share their voice,” Boeing said. “But there is more work to be done.”
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![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/21ebb8ea011cf56d.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
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The report outlined Boeing’s safety initiatives after the fatal crashes, such as the “Speak Up” portal, an online system for employees to confidentially report concerns about production quality, safety or business ethics.
However, employees interviewed for the FAA report expressed “distrust of the anonymity of the Speak Up program,” according to the report, saying employees prefer to discuss their concerns directly with their managers.
“Employees did not understand how to use the different reporting systems, which reporting system to use and when,” the FAA said.
“The panel is concerned that this confusion about reporting systems may discourage employees from raising safety concerns.”
Source: AFP