U.S. regulators have issued a scathing assessment of Boeing¡¯s safety culture, putting further pressure on the company as it contends with the fallout from a near-catastrophic accident at the start of the year.

The planemaker was faulted for ineffective procedures and a breakdown in communications between senior management and other members of staff, a panel of experts convened by the Federal Aviation Administration said in a report released Monday. Constant changes to complex procedures and trainings led to confusion, while other shortcomings hindered the average employee¡¯s understanding of their role in how Boeing manages safety, according to the report, which was mandated by U.S. lawmakers.

¡°I really hope this is a wake-up call to the Boeing Company,¡± said Rich Plunkett, a member of the expert review panel and director of strategic development for the union that represents Boeing¡¯s engineers.