Over the last three years, Boeing has been the subject of 32 whistleblower complaints filed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States, according to documents obtained by Al Jazeera through a freedom of information request. These complaints, which range from December 2020 to March of this year, allege various workplace violations and retaliation against whistleblowers.
The complaints were filed under different statutes, with 13 related to aviation safety whistleblowing, 15 linked to general workplace safety, two categorized under fraud, and one concerning the control of toxic chemicals. The documents reveal that, with the exception of two cases where monetary restitution was awarded, all specified complaints were closed by OSHA without action. The most frequent reason for case closure, cited in seven instances, was the whistleblower's failure to report within the legally required timeframe, which varies from 30 to 180 days.
Other reasons for non-action included lack of jurisdiction and insufficient cooperation from the complainant. Currently, five cases remain under investigation or are pending assignment. The figures compiled by OSHA officials last month also indicate that OSHA has been asked to review its 2017 dismissal of a complaint by John Barnett, a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, following his death last month from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In an email dated March 26, OSHA’s chief of staff, Emily Hargrove, communicated the need for a review to a colleague. “Jesse [Lawder, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Public Affairs] indicated the reasoning was because there wasn’t evidence that there was a violation of the underlying laws. Can we get a summary of that decision. He also is asking how often cases are dismissed based on that rationale. They also are asking if we made any safety and health issue referrals to FAA out of this complaint,” Hargrove wrote.
It remains unclear what the outcome of this review might be, as the documents do not reference it. The list of whistleblower complaints against Boeing is not exhaustive, as other US agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also handle aviation-related whistleblower claims.
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The complaints were filed under different statutes, with 13 related to aviation safety whistleblowing, 15 linked to general workplace safety, two categorized under fraud, and one concerning the control of toxic chemicals. The documents reveal that, with the exception of two cases where monetary restitution was awarded, all specified complaints were closed by OSHA without action. The most frequent reason for case closure, cited in seven instances, was the whistleblower's failure to report within the legally required timeframe, which varies from 30 to 180 days.
Other reasons for non-action included lack of jurisdiction and insufficient cooperation from the complainant. Currently, five cases remain under investigation or are pending assignment. The figures compiled by OSHA officials last month also indicate that OSHA has been asked to review its 2017 dismissal of a complaint by John Barnett, a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, following his death last month from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In an email dated March 26, OSHA’s chief of staff, Emily Hargrove, communicated the need for a review to a colleague. “Jesse [Lawder, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Public Affairs] indicated the reasoning was because there wasn’t evidence that there was a violation of the underlying laws. Can we get a summary of that decision. He also is asking how often cases are dismissed based on that rationale. They also are asking if we made any safety and health issue referrals to FAA out of this complaint,” Hargrove wrote.
It remains unclear what the outcome of this review might be, as the documents do not reference it. The list of whistleblower complaints against Boeing is not exhaustive, as other US agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also handle aviation-related whistleblower claims.
Boeing hit with 32 whistleblower claims, as dead worker’s case reviewed
US workplace safety regulator received the complaints of employer retaliation over three-year period.