WASHINGTON (October 8, 2025) – A pilot at Hollywood Burbank Airport was met with an automated response when he radioed the air traffic control tower. “The tower is closed due to staffing.” Air traffic control towers around the country are short-staffed due to the ongoing government shutdown; however, controllers are considered essential workers so they have been continuing to work, without pay.
For expert insight on this matter, please consider Tiffany Bisbey, assistant professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology at the George Washington University. “While the immediate concern is understandably the risk of an incident due to shortages, I’m just as worried about the longer-term damage to safety culture. That’s the deeper issue here in my opinion” said Bisbey.
Bisbey defines safety culture as the product of the consistent prioritization, from leadership to front-line workers, of safety. One of her research articles identified 7 key factors that support a strong safety culture. Right now, each of them is being strained by the shutdown.
“Staff shortages mean leaders aren’t prioritizing safety or resources, signaling to employees that safety isn’t a top concern. That breeds disengagement in an already high-stress job, while frequent turnover and inexperience disrupt the communication essential to safe performance. Safety culture takes years to build but can erode quickly in under-resourced environments and it’s hard to rebuild once it does.”
If you would like to schedule an interview with Professor Bisbey, please contact Senior Media Relations Specialist Claire Sabin at claire [dot] sabin
gwu [dot] edu (claire[dot]sabin[at]gwu[dot]edu).
-GW-