Members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) questioned Boeing executives regarding the company’s workplace safety culture and allegations of retaliation against two employees involved in a mishap with a Boeing 737 Max 9. The incident occurred when a door plug detached mid-flight during an Alaska Airlines flight, causing a rapid decompression. The preliminary report found that four bolts securing the door plug were missing. Boeing has not publicly identified the employees responsible for the oversight.
NTSB investigators raised concerns about employees being afraid to speak up due to fear of retaliation or being moved to different positions as punishment for mistakes. Boeing acknowledged that the error should have been caught before the plane was rolled out for delivery.
Boeing executives stated that the two employees involved were temporarily reassigned to a different position with no change in pay or benefits, at their own request. The employees were placed in a different building, with workers referring to it as “Boeing prison.” Boeing is working on implementing design changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, is set to assume his position, and the company has committed to working with the NTSB on a safety culture survey. Boeing executives emphasized the importance of a just culture that addresses mistakes with non-punitive solutions to ensure product safety and protect employees who report safety issues.
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