Boeing Grapples With 32 Whistleblower Complaints In 3 Years Amid Mounting Safety Concerns: Report

Boeing Co. BA has been hit with 32 whistleblower complaints over the past three years, with the U.S. workplace safety regulator investigating allegations of employer retaliation.

What Happened: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) received 32 complaints of employer retaliation against Boeing between December 2020 and March, Al Jazeera reported on Friday.

The complaints were filed under various statutes, including those related to aviation safety and workplace safety.

Two of the complaints were filed under the category of fraud, and one related to the control of toxic chemicals. Only two of the complaints resulted in monetary restitution, and all the complaints with specified outcomes were closed without any action taken by the agency.

OSHA cited various reasons for closing the cases, including the whistleblower failing to make a report within the specified timeframe, lack of jurisdiction, and lack of cooperation from the complainant. Five cases are still under investigation or pending assignment.

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Boeing is currently under intense scrutiny for its safety record and standards. The company’s safety practices have come under the spotlight following the public testimony of current and former employees, who have raised concerns about the company’s safety standards.

One of the witnesses, former Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, accused the company of putting out defective airplanes and raised serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and 777 aircraft. Another witness, former Boeing engineer Ed Pierson, accused the company of a “criminal cover-up” in the investigation of a midair blowout of a Boeing 737 Max 9 in January.

"Safety is Boeing's top priority, and this includes everyone who flies on our airplanes and our employees who build them. For more than a decade, Boeing has had a safety initiative called Go4Zero that aims to eliminate all workplace injuries. Over that time, we've reduced serious injuries by 26% and recordable injuries by 62%, and we continue to make progress. Boeing takes seriously all complaints from employees, including those made to OSHA related to workplace safety. We cooperate with OSHA to respond to and address all issues, and we continue to encourage all Boeing employees to raise safety concerns. Boeing does not tolerate, and our rules prohibit, retaliation of any kind," Boeing said in an email response to Benzinga.

Why It Matters: The recent whistleblower complaints add to the growing scrutiny of Boeing’s safety practices. Earlier this month, the company’s 787 Dreamliner fleet was under investigation after allegations that the aircraft might not be safe to fly. The FAA is investigating claims by whistleblower and engineer Sam Salehpour that the Dreamliner could potentially disintegrate due to improperly assembled parts of the plane’s main body.

Before the recent whistleblower complaints, Salehpour had urged the grounding of the entire 787 fleet due to safety concerns. He had also testified before Congress about the safety issues at Boeing, which he had previously reported to the FAA in a complaint earlier this year.

Despite these concerns, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) emphasized the critical need for Boeing to succeed, stressing the importance of safety in aviation.

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