Boeing hit with 32 whistleblower claims, as dead worker’s case reviewed

Boeing has been the subject of 32 whistleblower complaints with the workplace safety regulator in the United States during the past three years, newly obtained documents reveal, amid mounting scrutiny of standards at the beleaguered aircraft maker. The documents also show that OSHA launched a review of the case of John Barnett, a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, after he was found dead last month from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. Boeing does not tolerate, and our rules prohibit, retaliation of any kind.” The revelations come as the public testimony of a number of current and former Boeing employees is refocusing attention on the aircraft manufacturer’s allegedly hostile environment for whistleblowers and lax safety standards. “I have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and 777 aircraft, and I’m willing to take on professional risk to talk about them.” Another witness, Ed Pierson, a former Boeing engineer, accused the company of a “criminal cover-up” in the investigation of the midair blowout of a Boeing 737 Max 9 in January that prompted regulators to put a cap on the manufacturer’s production.