Boeing’s instructions to workers criticized as complicated, confusing

Boeing’s quality management system came under close scrutiny at a hearing investigating the Jan. 5 accident on a 737 Max 9 aircraft, with one worker representative criticizing the processes as overly complex and difficult to follow. The company’s system “is very complicated,” said Lloyd Catlin, a business representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents thousands of Boeing employees. The procedures and instructions have “been through so many changes, especially over the last 10 years, that it’s very ambiguous and open to misinterpretation,” he said. The complaints were raised during the second day of an extensive hearing held by the US National Transportation Safety Board to get to the bottom of why a panel blew off a nearly-new Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in January. Since the accident, Boeing has said it’s made strides to address quality lapses at its factories, including by simplifying instructions for workers. <br/>The hearing covers a range of topics, including the manufacturing of the 737 Max, the events leading up to the panel — known as a door plug — falling off mid-flight, Boeing’s safety and quality management systems, and the FAA’s oversight of the planemaker. Boeing’s factory processes have been under the microscope of regulators and safety inspectors since the accident. The FAA put out a scathing report earlier this year that faulted Boeing for unclear processes, in which workers aren’t aways aware of the demands of senior managers. <br/>