What Reasonable Cause Training Must FAA Supervisors Complete?

Under 14 CFR Part 120, an aviation employer trains the supervisors who decide whether an employee must be tested based on reasonable cause for drugs or reasonable suspicion for alcohol. The drug and alcohol requirements are in separate sections.

For drug testing, 14 CFR 120.115(c) requires:

• Specific training on specific, contemporaneous physical, behavioral and performance indicators of probable drug use for supervisory personnel who will determine when an employee is subject to reasonable cause testing
• At least 60 minutes of initial training for supervisors who will make reasonable cause determinations
• A reasonable recurrent training program for those supervisors during subsequent years
• Documentation of all training given to employees and supervisory personnel

Under 120.115(c)(1), employees receive a reasonable program of initial training on the effects and consequences of drug use and on the manifestations and behavioral cues that may indicate drug use and abuse. Under 120.115(c)(6), the employer identifies the employee and supervisor EAP training in its drug testing program.

For alcohol testing, 14 CFR 120.223(b) requires that persons designated to determine whether reasonable suspicion exists for an alcohol test under 120.217(d) receive at least 60 minutes of training on the physical, behavioral, speech and performance indicators of probable alcohol misuse. How the FAA recurrent requirement compares with other DOT agencies is covered in Is Recurrent Reasonable Suspicion Training Required for DOT Supervisors?.

Learn Laws® offers FAA Reasonable Suspicion Training for Supervisors, a two-hour initial course under 14 CFR Part 120, and FAA Annual Recurrent Training for Supervisors, a recurrent course of about 1 hour for FAA supervisors who finished initial training.

Among the services named on certain MyDrugTesting.com trainer profiles is FAA Reasonable Suspicion Training for Supervisors.