30-August-2007, 06:45 AM
|
 |
Established Member
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Arkansas, USA
Posts: 1,266
|
|
NASA releases Space Flight Safety Review (Alcohol use in the Preflight Period)
Space Flight Safety Review (Alcohol use in the Preflight Period) [256k PDF]
Quote:
In its final report, dated 27 July, 2007, the Astronaut Health Care System Review Committee found the following: “Interviews with flight surgeons and astronauts identified episodes of heavy use of alcohol by astronauts in the immediate preflight period which led to flight safety concerns. Two specific instances were described where astronauts had been so intoxicated prior to flight that flight surgeons and/or fellow astronauts raised concerns to local on-scene leadership regarding flight safety. However,
the individuals were still permitted to fly.” The purpose of this review was to evaluate the Committee’s finding related to the inappropriate use or abuse of alcohol by astronauts in the immediate preflight (spaceflight) period, and to evaluate relevant existing policies covering alcohol use and abuse. My approach to the review was to learn as much as I could about the reported allegations through interviews, data searches and history review. The goal was to establish the nature and scope of any flight crew alcohol abuse, thus enabling a more informed course of action in our policies, procedures, risk mitigation strategies, authority structure and communications systems.
The scope of the review was limited to spaceflight with focus on the activities on launch day from crew wakeup until launch. The review method included review of anonymous reporting systems, review of mishap and close call records going back as far as 20 years, a survey of existing alcohol-related policies, and conduct of approximately 90 voluntary interviews with participants and witnesses to the last few days before launch. To supplement this review, I reminded members of the flight community that they should use the hot lines and NASA Safety Reporting System for any flight safety information they felt reluctant to provide in the open forum of my review. Also, NASA is preparing a focused anonymous survey as a follow up; this survey will help to try to flush out any residual concerns in this and other areas covered by the Committee report.
Within the scope and limitations of this review, I was unable to verify any case in which an astronaut spaceflight crewmember was impaired on launch day, or any case where a manager of a flight surgeon or co-crewmember disregarded their recommendation that a crewmember not fly Shuttle or Soyuz. Should such a situation present itself in the future, I am confident that there are reasonable safeguards in place to prevent an impaired
crewmember from boarding a spacecraft. As for disregard for flight surgeon or crew safety concerns, I found that although there may be occasional disagreements among operations and medical team members, all parties understand their roles and authorities and the multiple safety reporting and appeal paths. This report recommends an improvement in flight surgeon oversight during launch day activities. I also found several areas in various NASA and other relevant policies that should be improved for scope and clarity, and this report has specific recommendations in that area. This review is complete, but I have reminded the workforce that any alcohol abuse or other flight safety threats should be reported in an open forum, or if necessary, through any one of the several anonymous reporting systems in place at NASA.
|
__________________
In the progress of this discussion I shall endeavor to give a satisfactory answer to all the objections which shall have made their appearance, that may seem to have any claim to your attention.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 1
|
Similar Threads
Linear Mode
