Boeing unveils revamp to deepen safety focus after 737 Max crashes

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg unveiled a structural overhaul intended to sharpen the plane-maker’s focus on safety after two accidents of its 737 Max killed 346 people within a five-month span. Acting on a recommendation from the board, Muilenburg is creating a new product and services safety organization to centralize responsibilities across the plane-maker’s business and operating units. The new group will be run by Beth Pasztor, a 34-year Boeing veteran who will report to a new board aerospace committee as well as the company’s chief engineer. Pasztor will have responsibility for all aspects of product safety, including investigating concerns raised anonymously by employees, Boeing said in a statement Monday. The company’s accident-investigation team, safety-review boards and engineering and technical experts who represent the FAA in aircraft certification will all report to Pasztor, who previously oversaw product safety at Boeing’s jetliner division. “Beth is a proven leader, she’s a collaborator,” Muilenburg said. He also considered external candidates before deciding that Pasztor’s deep knowledge of Boeing would give her a running start. “She, from a technical qualification standpoint, is the best.” The CEO is under pressure to show airlines, travellers and global regulators that safety is woven into the century-old manufacturer’s designs and culture. Both have been called into question given the lapses that have prompted regulators to ground two brand-new Boeing jetliners this decade. Story has more details.<br/>