ATLANTA - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes two civil penalties totaling $147,375 against ExpressJet Airlines of Atlanta, Ga. for allegedly violating drug and alcohol testing and aircraft maintenance regulations.
In the first case, the FAA alleges ExpressJet did not conduct required drug tests and receive verified, negative results before hiring or transferring four people into safety-sensitive positions. The company drug-tested a fifth person but waited too long after receiving the verified, negative results to hire him into a safety?sensitive position, the FAA alleges.
Furthermore, the FAA alleges ExpressJet failed to include one of these employees in its random drug and alcohol testing pool. Additionally, the agency alleges the company that ExpressJet hired to collect drug and alcohol testing specimens failed to properly ensure the completion of the custody and control or alcohol testing forms for tests on nine employees. ExpressJet also did not calibrate its evidential breath test device at proper intervals, the FAA alleges.
The FAA discovered the alleged violations during an inspection in May 2014. The agency is proposing a $97,375 civil penalty in this case.
In the second case, the FAA alleges that, in April 2014, ExpressJet failed to ensure that an Embraer EMB-145 regional jet underwent required testing and measurement of the aircraft surface in connection with the repainting of the jet. The FAA is proposing a $50,000 civil penalty in this case.
ExpressJet is scheduled to meet with the FAA in mid-February to discuss the case.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
