Which begs the question: is drug and alcohol testing of safety sensitive personnel a necessity?
JUST after 5pm on 26th September 2002, 27-year-old pilot Andrew Morris taxied a Piper Cherokee for departure from Runway 14 at Hamilton Island Airport, Queensland. Morris, who’d been on the job at Island Air Taxis for just a few days, was due to fly five passengers on a 10-minute charter to Lindeman Island, a short hop of 15km. The passengers aboard the Piper were New Zealanders Kevin Bowles, 47 and Joanne Bowles, 46, their children Sophie, nine, and Michael, six, and 33-year-old American honeymooner Christopher Le Gallo. Shortly after takeoff the aircraft crashed into a hillside some 300m west of the runway and exploded into flames, killing all six people on board. Coroner Michael Barnes found evidence that suggested alcohol and drugs taken by Morris was a factor in the crash. But Barnes said there was no evidence anyone had committed a criminal offence. “In my view, the effect of this evidence raises a real possibility that the alcohol and marijuana Mr Morris ingested the day or days
Related Questions
- Are all employees of rail transport operators subject to drug and alcohol testing under the Rail Safety (Drug and Alcohol Testing) Regulation 2008 (the "Regulation")?
- What are the rail transport operator offences under the Rail Safety (Drug and Alcohol Testing) Regulation 2008?
- What are the rail safety worker offences under the Rail Safety (Drug and Alcohol Testing) Regulation 2008?
