FAA Proposes New Drug and Alcohol Testing Rule for Maintenance Workers

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a new legislation to require drug and alcohol testing for employees carrying out safety-sensitive maintenance works for United States airlines at repair stations outside the US.

If successful, the new programme would fall in line with the FAA and Department of Transportation (DOT)’s drug and alcohol testing framework, and would see all testing data sent to the DOT for further examination.

The repair stations would have to ensure their employees receive all necessary anti-drug and alcohol training and send their testing data electronically to the DOT

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Currently, only a handful of countries require testing of aviation or maintenance workers. The newly proposed rules would impact over 950 repair stations across 65 countries.

The scheme was published in the Federal Register on Thursday 7 December, and the FAA has allowed the public 60 days to comment on the proposal.