31 July 2011 C1 CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT HONG KONG ...

Service and Certificates of Fitness for Flight under the 'A Conditions') requiresclear decisions to be made that directly affect the airworthiness of the aircraftto which they relate. It follows that the quality of these decisions is directlyinfluenced by the physical or mental state of the certifier at the time ofcertification, and whether or not he or she is subject to the adverse effects ofdrink and/or drugs.2.2 The corporate management of all approved maintenance organisations arerequired to review this Airworthiness Notice and implement suitable policiesand procedures to make all maintenance staff aware of them. ThisAirworthiness Notice falls on those who certify the completion ofmaintenance, holding HKAR-66 licences or any other aircraft maintenancelicences acceptable to the Director-General. The guidance materialcontained in this Airworthiness Notice is equally applicable to all non-licensedpersonnel engaged in aircraft maintenance tasks and in principle should beadopted throughout the aviation industry as a code of practice. Organisationsshall also take note of items in paragraph 3 which require their participation inthe areas concerned.2.3 All persons to whom this Airworthiness Notice applies should be aware of theguidance material contained herein. It is the responsibility of the individualconcerned to ensure that he or she does not report for duty or certify if he orshe is genuinely unfit. Such persons should also be aware of anorganisation's own internal policies and monitoring procedures to verify theabove.3 Guidance3.1 FitnessIn most professions there is a duty of care by the individual to assess his or herown fitness to carry out professional duties. This has been a legalrequirement for some time for doctors, flight crew members and air trafficcontrollers. Licensed aircraft maintenance engineers are also now requiredby this Airworthiness Notice to take a similar professional attitude.Cases of subtle physical or mental illness may not always be apparent to theindividual but as engineers often work as a member of a team any substandardperformance or unusual behaviour should be quickly noticed bycolleagues or supervisors who should notify management so that appropriatesupport and counselling action can be taken. In particular, a decrease inmental fitness in many cases may be related to stress from within the workingenvironment or to the personal circumstances of the individual. Instances ofaggressive behaviour, vagueness and slippage of personal standards(cleanliness, appearance, etc.) may be indicative of more serious mental issues.Such issues may bring into question the ability of the individual to be trustedor to maintain the necessary levels of concentration to take appropriatedecisions on airworthiness matters.30 September 2006 AN-47 P.2