'Changed doors like underwear': Boeing employees reveal workplace challenges
Boeing employees have revealed a chaotic and dysfunctional work environment, according to testimony at the start of a two-day hearing conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The investigation was initiated following January incident involving a Boeing 737 MAX. Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 experienced a mid-flight door plug detachment at an altitude of 16,000 feet. A worker who operated on the plane testified that they were forced into a situation where replacing doors became as routine as changing underwear.
Concerns over training and communication
The employee, identified as a Door Master Lead, told investigators that much of their work during assembly had to be redone due to discovered problems. This worker also revealed there was no special training for handling door plugs compared to regular doors. He stated his team was "put in uncharted waters to where... we were replacing doors like we were replacing our underwear."
'We're the cockroaches of the factory'
According to testimony at the hearing, the fuselage of the plane was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems and arrived at Boeing with four bolts in place. However, rivet issues near the door plug required repair and removal of the door plug. Although there were Spirit employees at the Boeing plant, communication between them on the factory floor was reportedly poor. "Well, basically we're the cockroaches of the factory," an unidentified Spirit employee told NTSB investigators.
NTSB attributed incident to missing bolts
The NTSB had previously stated that the door plug ripped off because the 737 MAX plane left the factory without the four bolts needed to keep it in place. One of the workers, identified as "Assembler Installer Doors B," said that the increased workload at the Boeing factory led to mistakes. "As far as the workload, I feel like we were definitely trying to put out too much product, right? That's how mistakes are made."
Low morale and high turnover rates plague Boeing
A Boeing team captain at the 737 factory also told investigators of low employee morale and high turnover rates. The incident has significantly damaged public confidence in Boeing, prompting federal investigations into its practices and safety. The NTSB stated it will use the information gathered to complete the investigation, determine probable cause, and make recommendations to improve transportation safety. The final NTSB report could still take months to release.
