Substance Misuse Programs in Commercial Aviation : Safety First

While there is a limited data on safety-sensitive professionals, substance use disorders potentially affect pilots and flight attendants at the same rate as the general population - around 15 percent - but due to the high-risk nature of their jobs, aircraft operators are held to a higher standard for substance misuse on the job. To protect the safety of the public and the aviation workforce, the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) and the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP) were launched to help treat critical aviation workers - pilots and flight attendants, respectively - who misuse substances.

In response to a congressional mandate, this new report reviews available evidence on the effectiveness of HIMS and FADAP and offers recommendations for improving these programs. Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction2 Brief Descriptions of the Human Intervention and MotivationalStudy and the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program3 Evidence-Based Practices for Identifying and Treating SubstanceUse Disorders4 A Program Evaluation Overview for Support of Pilots and FlightAttendants with Substance Use Disorders5 Outcomes of the Human Intervention and Motivational Study and theFlight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program: Analysis of theAvailable Evidence6 Summary Assessment: Conclusions and RecommendationsReferencesAppendix A: Other Alcohol and Drug Programs in the TransportationSectorAppendix B: Speakers, Papers, and Literature Review - DataGatheringAppendix C: Communications Between the Committee and the FederalAviation Administration, Human Intervention and Motivational Study,Airline Pilots Association, International, and Congressional StaffAppendix D: Committee Member BiosketchesAppendix E: Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest