On 10 February 2016, the Government announced changes to the commercial aviation and maritime sectors.
Once the changes are introduced, operatorsOperators in these sectors will now be required to have drug and alcohol management plans. These plans need to be agreed with the Civil Aviation Authority or Maritime New Zealand, and must include random drug and alcohol testing of staff performing safety sensitive activities.
The Directors of Civil Aviation and Maritime New Zealand will have the power to undertake non-notified testing of safety sensitive staff in the commercial aviation and maritime sectors.
These changes are designed to assure passengers and crew that their aviation and maritime operations are safe and free from drug and alcohol impairment.
The changes reflect the feedback received through consultation by the Ministry of Transport on Clear heads: options to reduce the risks of alcohol- and drug-related impairment in aviation, maritime and rail.
The Clear heads discussion paper was a response to the 31 October 2013 Transport Accident Investigation Commission report on the 2012 Carterton hot-air balloon accident, in which 11 people lost their lives. The Commission recommended regulatory changes to strengthen the management of alcohol and drugs in the aviation, maritime and rail sectors.
The Ministry believes there should be zero tolerance of operator impairment where members of the public are being transported by sea, rail and air.
- Read the Associate Minister of Transport Hon Craig Foss’ media release announcing the changes.
- Read question and answers on the changes
Clear heads discussion paper
Clear heads– full discussion paper
Clear heads section one– summary report
Clear heads section two– background to the issues
Clear heads section three– the commercial sector
Clear heads section four– the recreational sector
Clear heads section five– post-occurrence testing for all
Clear heads section six– supporting material
A cross-modal risk analysis of substance impairment– NZIER report commissioned by the Ministry of Transport. The report provides an assessment of the relative risk of fatalities across transport modes where alcohol and drug impairment are contributing factors in accidents
Inquiry 12-001: Hot-air balloon collision with power lines and in-flight fire, near Carterton, 7 January 2012 (pdf 1.98MB)– the Commission’s final report following its investigation into the Carterton hot-air balloon accident. This link goes to the full report, found on the Commission’s website (scroll down the report to get past the blank pages)