The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) struck a blow for aviation safety generally and helicopter emergency medical services safety specifically when it ordered the rehiring of a pilot who it found had been fired for refusing to fly a medical transport mission in a helicopter that had a malfunctioning emergency locator transmitter. The mission called for a flight over mountainous terrain at night. OSHA ordered that the pilot be reinstated and paid $158,000 in back wages and $8,500 in damages, and that disciplinary information be removed from his personnel record.
In announcing the decision in early January, an OSHA official said: “Pilots should never have to choose between the safety of themselves and their passengers, and their job. … Disciplining an employee for following safety procedures is illegal and puts everyone at risk.”
Coincidentally, less than a week later, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board released its …
