NCAA Establishes Adequate Legal Framework To Address Personnel Wellness Related Issues
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it has “established adequate legal framework to address issues related to personnel wellness to ensure safe operation of aircraft, whether be it related to rest duty-time exceedances or medical fitness of the operating crew.”
The Director General, Civil Aviation, NCAA, Capt Chris Najomo stated this in a speech presented on his behalf titled “The Regulator’s Mandate: Strengthening Safety Oversight Through Evidence Integrity And Personnel Wellness,” at Aviation Stakeholder Engagement Workshop organized in Lagos by Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Najomo said personnel wellness is critical to safe operation of any equipment, especially an aircraft, where to take-off is a choice and to land is mandatory.
“Nig. CARs Part 8.5.1.4 requires states that “No person may act as PIC or in any other capacity as a required flight crew member when he or she is aware of any decrease in his or her medical fitness that might render the crew member unable to safely exercise the privileges of his or her licence’.
Furthermore, it states that the PIC shall be responsible for ensuring that a flight is not commenced if any flight crew member is incapacitated from performing duties by any cause such as injury, sickness, fatigue, the effects of alcohol or drugs or continued beyond the nearest suitable aerodrome if a flight crew member’s capacity to perform functions is significantly reduced by impairment of faculties from causes such as fatigue, sickness, or lack of oxygen.
Meanwhile, Part 8.5.1.5 on prohibition on use of psychoactive substances, including narcotics, drugs or alcohol details the minimum amount of time that an individual would act in the capacity of a flight crew after the consumption of an alcohol beverage,” Najomo said.
He further stated that “there are requirements for the mandatory medical fitness certifications for flight crew members by medical assessors within specified period depending on age and also rest duty-time limitations. There are mandatory random checks of operational personnel by their organization. These are safety nets established by both the Authority and the airline operators to ensure that only medically fit personnel are allowed to operate these aircraft.
It is important that I mention here that the severity associated with a person, who is medically unfit operating an aircraft, whether due to physical, psychological illness or substance dependence or overshooting of the duty-time limitations is catastrophic.”
He re-iterated that evidence-based investigations are the only way we could learn what and why the occurrences happened and prevent its reoccurrence. Also, we are obliged to ensure that only medically fit personnel are allowed to operate an aircraft.”
