Policy and Guidance

Department of Transportation Guidance

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance (ODAPC) maintains a website with valuable information related to drug and alcohol testing. The website includes the DOT published rule (49 CFR part 40), which mandates who must conduct drug and alcohol tests, how to conduct those tests, and what procedures to use when testing. ODAPC also publishes and provides authoritative interpretations of the rule and various program guidance publications.

Policy

Policy and legal interpretations of the FAA industry drug and alcohol testing program.

FAA Guidance

FAA guidance related to the industry drug and alcohol testing program.

Q&As for Safety-Sensitive Employees

Information and answers to your questions about FAA drug and alcohol testing.

Industry Drug and Alcohol Testing Program

The following are sample postings and policies available for your use. Although the regulation, 14 CFR part 120, does not require all of the information available on these posting and policy samples, we believe it's a good practice to provide your employees with the information. Please keep in mind that using the samples requires you to add your company information. If you have any questions, please contact us at (202) 267-8442 or drugabatement@faa.gov.

• Sample Posting for DOT/FAA Drug and Alcohol Testing(MS Word)
• Sample Posting for DOT/FAA Drug Testing(MS Word)
• Sample DOT/FAA Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy (MS Word)

Aircrew Health and Safety

FAA and Other U.S. Government Agencies

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Avian Influenza
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
  • Swine Influenza (Flu)
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
  • Radiation Exposure at Altitude(PDF)
  • Venous Thromboembolic Disease: Risk for Passengers and Aircrew?
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • The Flight Crew Research Program at NIOSH (Radiation Exposure)

Private Organizations and non U.S. Government Agencies

• American Society of Anesthesiologists
  • Management of In-flight Medical Emergencies
• Civil Aviation Authority
  • Cabin Air Quality, CAA Paper 2004/04(PDF)
• Critical Care 2009, 13:R3
  • Surgical and Medical Emergencies on Board European Aircraft: A Retrospective Study of 10189 Cases(PDF)
• World Health Organization
  • Tuberculosis and Air Travel: Guidelines for Prevention and Control, 1998

Flight Standards Service

The Flight Standards Service promotes safe air transportation by setting the standards for certification and oversight of airmen, air operators, air agencies, and designees. We also promote safety of flight of civil aircraft and air commerce by:

• Accomplishing certification, inspection, surveillance, investigation, and enforcement
• Setting regulations and standards
• Managing the system for registration of civil aircraft and certification of airmen

The Service reorganized from a regionally (geographically) based organization to a functionally based organization and employs the Safety Management System (SMS) principles of safety assurance, safety standards, Safety Risk Management (SRM), and safety promotion.

Air Transportation Division

Operations Group

The Air Carrier Operations Group manages the regulations and policies concerning 14 CFR Part 121 and Part 135 operations.

• 121 Flight Operations Section
• 135 Flight Operations Section
• Air Carrier Special Operation Programs Section

Address:
Federal Aviation Administration
Operations Group
Room # 831
800 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Washington, DC 20591

Phone: (202) 267-8166
Fax: (202) 267-5229
Email:9-AFS-200-Correspondence@faa.gov

Flight Procedures and Airspace Group

Special Restrictions for Foreign Terminal Instrument Procedures (FTIP)

NOTE: Only the approaches listed in the below file have been reviewed by FAA for compliance with criteria. The absence of an approach on this spreadsheet does not guarantee that the approach complies with criteria or is safe to fly.

U.S. certificate holder/operators still have the responsibility to review each FTIP for aircraft compatibility and compliance with established safety standards.

Special Restrictions for Foreign Terminal Instrument Procedures (FTIP)

Aircraft Certification Service (AIR)

The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) is part of the Office of Aviation Safety (AVS) and includes more than 1400 engineers, scientists, inspectors, test pilots and other experts responsible for oversight of design, production, airworthiness certification, and continued airworthiness programs for all U.S. civil aviation products and foreign import products.

AIR collaborates with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) to maintain and further the safety of the global air transportation system. Accountable to the American public and our stakeholders, AIR strives to reach the next level of safety, efficiency, environmental responsibility, and global leadership. To learn more, see FAA Order 8100.5, Aircraft Certification Service – Organizational Structure and Functions.

Aircraft Certification Service 2023 Reorganization

Since 2017, when AIR launched its Transformation to attain a more agile, coordinated, and efficient organization, AIR divisions have been working to reorganize and fine-tune AIR's structure. The 2023 AIR Reorganization is the final phase of our efforts to fully align AIR's people, work, and management chains with specific functions.

Resources

• AIR Staff and Divisions
• Aircraft Certification main page
• Aircraft Certification Service Consistency and Standardization Initiative Guide
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Room
• Aircraft Certification Technical Training Program
• Designees & Delegations
• Request for Information on Current Type Certificate (TC) Holders Prior to Declaring TC Abandoned

Safety Management, Analytics & System Integration Division

Safety Analysis Branch

The Safety Analysis Branch, is responsible for providing analytic support to Flight Standards Offices of Air Carrier and General Aviation Safety Assurance, Safety Standards, and Foundational Business in support of their Risk-based Decision Making processes and standardizes analysis techniques, processes, training, and interfaces. The office also provides:

• A myriad of analyses and data science techniques in support of several functions with in FS which includes but is not limited to Safety Assurance, Policy Development, Personnel and Staffing, and other special projects.
• Special analyses supporting AVS metrics and the AVS dashboard.
• Develops and maintains the Consolidated Analytics products in support of the Safety Assurance System.
• This office works in collaboration with other analytical assets distributed within the Flight Standards Service Office.
• Analyses from Safety Assurance System (SAS) and other oversight data sources and safety assurance data.

Contact

Joseph S. Hall
Manager, Safety Analysis Branch,
Federal Aviation Administration
13873 Park Center Road, Suite 160
Herndon, VA 20171

Phone: (703) 362-1779

Leo D. Hollis Master Aircraft Dispatcher Award

The Leo D. Hollis Master Aircraft Dispatcher Award is the most prestigious award the FAA issues to aircraft dispatchers certificated under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 65, Subpart C. This award is named after the Leo D. Hollis, who is the first recipient of this award (posthumously), to recognize individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for at least 40 years while performing the duties of an aircraft dispatcher.

Q&As for Safety-Sensitive Employees

My employer told me that I refused to test. But I didn't. I just walked outside the collection site to smoke a cigarette and make a call. Did I refuse?
Yes. According to the regulations [49 CFR § 40.191(a)(2)], failure to remain at the testing site until the testing process is completed is a refusal to test. It is important that you do not leave the collection site, for any reason, until you have provided a specimen and the collection process has concluded.