ATLANTA - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $74,553 civil penalty against Gardner Aviation Specialist, Inc., of Peachtree City, Ga., for allegedly violating drug and alcohol testing regulations.
The Agency alleges that Gardner, which is a FAA-certificated aircraft repair station, failed to conduct pre-employment drug tests and received verified negative results before hiring six people to perform safety-sensitive functions. One of the employees subsequently tested positive for amphetamines during a pre-employment drug test that the company administered after he was hired. The FAA alleges Gardner allowed him to work on two aircrafts in the following months without being evaluated by a substance abuse professional and without completing the required return-to-work process following a positive drug test.
Gardner also did not request information from twelve employees regarding previous positive drug or alcohol tests or refusals to be tested, the FAA alleges.
Additionally, the FAA alleges Gardner did not provide written drug and alcohol educational materials to all of its employees who were required to receive them, and did not train the person who was required to make determinations about reasonable suspicion drug testing.
Gardner has requested additional information about the case from the FAA.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
