FAA Report Slams Boeing's Safety Culture as 'Inadequate and Confusing'

The FAA signed off on Boeing, but now find an "Inadequate and Confusing" Safety Culture? How about that.

Stepping back a second, may I suggest that this is all fueled by greed? Government ineptitude, (influence of lobbyists, etc.) is far from immune to the effects of greed. Plenty of blame to go around as the ugliness is exposed. IMHO, Boeing is an excellent example of what can happen when financial greed of this magnitude is allowed to run unfettered. Sad really and a stain on the global reputation of the USA. It can and I am certain, does, do better.

Bean counting executives at Boeing have the same mentality that ruined MD. You cannot expect Chicago bean counters to understand engineering principles, especially when they involve safety. To them safety employees who perform proper inspections and safety protocols are deadwood. Chicago's answer was to cut safety inspectors to the bare minimum as they do not, in their short-sighted minds, contribute to the bottom line. Chicago thinks it is cheaper to payoff grieving relatives than to absorb the cost of sufficient quality control employees. Yes, they are idiotic and will one day wonder where they went wrong when Boeing goes bust and blame everyone else for the consequences.

When upper management at Boeing only cares about is giving themselves multi million dollar bonuses for "a job well done".....quality will always suffer

I love the comments blaming the unions for everything, not mentioning that it's management's job to negotiate the contracts with the union. I have no sympathy for management. They need to get their ---- together instead of blaming the employees for everything that goes wrong.
And remember, these are the "great professional" employees that they brag about in their pressers...

Back in the 1990's Boeing worked hard throughout the company to instill Total Quality Commitment (TQC). IMO, some execs were brought in to figure out how to raise profits. They over did it on outsourcing some key manufacturing processes and craftsmen/women as well and threw out TQC (and now it shows). Again, IMO some of these execs came from manufacturing, like PC's, probably figuring, just get it out the door, make the delivery and if there is a problem, we'll deal with it with a trouble call or maintenance advisory. Try that at 30K feet in the air. Boeing, it's time to reel this in and get back to basics and quality. If quality isn't the highest for a product like this, then no customers, no company.

the company pays as is their task as they collect revenues. THe union, well aware of the company's history of possible maltreatment,as well as labor treatment by management in america, bands together for mutual protections and negotiations. Strikes makes a point if needed. Any body who says unions do not provide fir their members should read more and post less: 40 hour work week, vacation times, sick leave paid, pensions, etc. If syou don't like unions, give all those bennies back and be quiet

Safety culture is an interesting term. What I have found after 40 years of working in various industries is that safety culture is a top down thing, the people at the top preach it but then push for things to get done faster and cheaper and safety and quality work are the first thing to gets tossed out the window. A safe work place only exists if it is practiced instead of just talked about and a safe workplace will always produce a better quality product because the workers are not focused on surviving the day and can take pride in their work.

Interesting comments and article. Lots of management saying the "right" things, but having spent 40 yrs in engineering (non aviation) and worked with a union all that time - words are cheap. True cooperation is easy to say and hard to get, management can work for years and suddenly the union wants a strike because of economic conditions not the fault of company or worker. There is no limit to short sightedness of either side. Contributory communications, and cooperative acceptance, or a new CEO shatters the tone. Common goals have to be walked, not just talked. Working together is ultimately about the people at the interface on the shop floors. Both sides will have to fight their own structures to make it work. I wish Boeing good luck, but it will take a decade to truly achieve the required balance.

Common goals, including greed, have to be addressed. Greed is simply competition with a monetary goal. They have to face their common opponent, themselves and Airbus included.

Well, if the FAA had been doing its job, this would have been fixed a long time ago.

I wish I ad his address so I could join him in working to get Boeing management back to its engineering roots instead of being run by a bunch of greenshades

Is that an A380 in the photo in this article, labeled “Boeing’s Production facility”? If so, no wonder Boeing are having problems…

Boy that's the pot calling the kettle black

In 2009 the FAA granted Boeing the ability to self-certify. The Max showed the FAA that they were not capable of doing that. The FAA is pissed(rightfully so). Doesn't bet on any new Boeing aircraft any time soon.

When I worked at Boeing, Seattle, not too many years ago, it still had the "old culture". Bill Boeing was a Yale grad, and the Seattle culture consisting of very loyal Scandinavian help, had built-in quality. Moving to Chicago, and later Arlington, can break up a thing like this. Looks like it did! C'mon Harvard Business School; let's focus on this case, and hang on it so everyone can remember for a long time. I've studied cost accounting, and I know what's involved.

The production/safety/quality standards that are required by Boeing are set by their management and any employee would be expected to meet them. I have not seen any suggestion that union members are being supported by their union for knowingly flouting this requirement.
The FAA has demanded Boeing provide an action plan addressing the current quality control issues. The demand is made to Boeing management, not to the unions, and it is encumbent on the management to do what their title suggests, and manage the required action. Clearly a good working relationship with it's workforce and unions greatly enhances the probability of a speedy solution.
The bottom line is that, if Boeing is going to recover, management have to produce a workable plan and the entire workforce have to get behind it.

Don't blame Boeing. They hire the plane assembled by a union. One bad employee didn't do his job and the door plug blew out. The union is protecting him. Put a bolt in, spin on a castle nut, tighten, put in a cotter pin, spread the cotter. Done. Do this 4 times. Done. In a air conditioned- heated building. Probably texting or u-tubing on his phone or whatever. Glad he doesn't tighten wing to fuselage bolts

My local Ford dealer, every new vehicle had to be checked, like gear boxes, front and rear differentials, transfer cases, manual transmissions were usually empty. This was 50 years ago. So hard to put in the oil. Yeah, right. Ford shouldn't have to have someone watching. Bad employees. Big pensions