The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that this program will ensure that at least 10 percent of the employees of an organization are covered in a year.
Civil Aviation
To curb the possible use of psychoactive substances by aviation personnel, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked all registered commercial aircraft operators to carry out, random drug testing on flight crew members and air traffic controllers.
DGCA said
DGCA has said that the rules will be effective from January 31, 2022, and will apply to aircraft operators engaged in commercial operations, maintenance, and improvement organizations, flying training organizations, and air navigation service providers.
It said that this program will ensure that at least 10 percent of the employees of an organization are covered in a year.
While the aviation regulator already examines aviation personnel by breath analyzers before they start flight duties, a senior official said the move is to ensure the safety of passengers and aircraft.
“The worldwide spread of the control of psychoactive substances, their general availability, and the ever-increasing amount of addicted users is a serious concern to aviation safety.
Their use causes behavioral, cognitive, and physiological changes.
Civil aviation requirement
This manifests independence, major health-related issues, and negative effect on performance,” said the DGCA in a fresh civil aviation requirement (CAR) issued on Monday.
All the positive cases will be reported to DGCA within 24 hours.
- If the screening test is non-negative, the employee will be immediately removed from duty till a confirmatory report is received.
- In the case of the first positive confirmatory test, the employee will be included in a de-addiction program.
In case such a person is freshly caught in the confirmatory test, the license will be suspended for three years.
The license will be canceled if it is a third positive case. If a person refuses to undergo the test, he will be removed from duties until clearing the drug testing profile within 48 hours.
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Source: The new Indian express
