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The FAA does, however, exercise very strict oversight in other areas... The FAA inspector looked at my random drug testing program to make sure that everything
by jpatokal 9y ago
The FAA does, however, exercise very strict oversight in other areas...
The FAA inspector looked at my random drug testing program to make sure that everything was in place. I [a one-man helicopter charter company] am subject to the same drug testing requirements as United Airlines. I am the drug testing coordinator for our company, so I am responsible for scheduling drug tests and surprising employees when it is their turn to be tested. As it happens, I’m also the only “safety-sensitive employee” subject to drug testing, so basically I’m responsible for periodically surprising myself with a random drug test. As a supervisor, I need to take training so that I can recognize when an employee is on drugs. But I’m also the only employee, so really this is training so that I can figure out if I myself am on drugs. As an employee, I need to take a second training course so that I learn about all of the ways that my employer might surprise me with a random drug test and find out about drug use. But I’m also the employer so really I’m learning about how I might trap myself.
Five minutes after the FAA inspector left, I received a phone call. “I’m from the FAA and we’d like to schedule an audit of your drug testing program.” I remarked that a fully qualified FAA inspector was barely out of the driveway and had just gone through every document that I had on the subject. “He was from the FSDO (Flight Standards District Office)? That’s a completely different department. We’re going to send two inspectors up from Atlanta next month.” Why two? “We always send them in pairs.” What did they want? “We’re going to fax you a detailed list of all of the information that we need and you should immediately contact your drug testing provider (Lexis/Nexis) to tell them that you’re being audited. There is a bunch of information that you can get only from them. As soon as you get the fax, you should re-fax it to Lexis/Nexis.” I said that I didn’t have a fax machine, so he promised to send the information via U.S. mail. It could not be emailed.
https://blogs.harvard.edu/philg/2011/06/16/revitalizing-the-u-s-economy-through-government-spending/ https://blogs.harvard.edu/philg/2011/06/16/revitalizing-the-...
- gruez 9y ago>The FAA does, however, exercise very strict oversight in other areas... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture
- ubernostrum 9y agoDrug testing of pilots is regulatory capture now? Is there anything left that an HN commenter won't describe as regulatory capture or rent-seeking?
- sfRattan 9y agoIs there any part of our leviathan government left which does not indulge special interest groups and rent seekers, or mire citizens in mystifying, stultifying bureaucracy? I've personally interacted somewhat deeply with the SSA/HHS (helping with medical care for a grandfather), my state's Department of Education (trying to start up an independent school), administrative local law enforcement (obtaining a seller's license for liquor while in college for a job), and several city/town/village councils/boards (planning/permitting local events). For all my interfaces with the state, my answer to that question is still, "no, I've yet to find a single part of government which doesn't do some or all those things." Hell, even the student government at my university did those things. Maybe HN commenters describe so many things as regulatory capture or rent-seeking because that's what our world is now.
- someguydave 9y agoNo, because you cannot substitute human relationships with process bereft of soul.
- atomical 9y agoThis sounds like a rant by Tommy Saxondale.
- rsync 9y agoLexis/Nexis does drug testing ?
- ryanlol 9y agoIt's a part of their employee screening solutions. What does lexis/nexis not do?
- sitepodmatt 9y agoare they as grossly incompetent, infuriating and without a grain of common sense as much as First Advantage?
- ryanlol 9y agoI'm fairly certain that 'gross incompetence' is a core value in this sector.
- warent 9y agoI'm in tears reading this, what an excellent article, thank you for sharing