All European operators must give their crews access to a PSP by 14 August 2020

EASA’s Regulation EU 2018/1042 will come into force on 14 August 2020. Among other rules on psychological screening and random drugs and alcohol testing (see p. 20-21), it establishes that all EU airlines must ensure their pilots access to a Peer Support Program. The once very theoretical concept is therefore progressively becoming real. But, what is it about?

What is a Peer Support Programme?

A Peer Support Programme (or ‘Peer Intervention Programme’) is an independent body/foundation – in practice usually the professional pilot association in cooperation with the regulator and the airlines – that runs a programme to which pilots can turn to for advice and help with a specific problem, such as problematic substance use or mental health issues. This might be serious, but doesn’t have to be. Every single day almost 30% of the people around you may be preoccupied by having their children in hospital, financial issues or marital problems. Other examples that may affect your work performance may include simulator fear or self-doubt.

How does it work?

Let’s look at different case scenarios.

You, as a pilot, are facing mental health issues, addiction or just going through a rough time. You don’t know what to do and whom to talk to. Thanks to PSP, you’ll be able to contact the program as a first step to discuss with a trained peer (i.e. another pilot trained and supported specifically for and by the PSP) without the fear of having your medical certificate revoked immediately.

Every time we go to work we unconsciously evaluate our colleagues’ behaviour. Let’s now assume you suspect one of your colleagues is facing such problems. What should you do? The first thing would be to talk to him/her and encourage him/her to call the PSP. If you see that this does not work, in some PSP implementations, you may directly refer to a PSP member who will get in touch with the pilot and propose help.

What happens next?

First of all, it’s important to note that calling the PSP does NOT result in your medical certificate being revoked immediately. The ultimate aim is to get the pilot back to work as soon as possible.

Typically any issue would be resolved through this intervention without the direct involvement of the employer. If this intervention is not acknowledged, successful or appropriate, the PSP might decide to remove a pilot from flying (with the involvement of the regulator’s medical staff i.e. the AMEs). At this stage though, the employer still does not get to know any details or take any (further) action.

If intervention and treatment are successful after this, the pilot is returned to flying without discriminatory or punitive action from the employer. It is up to the relevant experts within the PSP body to decide when and whether this happens.

What if the PSP does not succeed?

Ultimately, if a pilot will not accept help or cannot be successfully treated, the regulator can be asked to withdraw his/her medical. However, even here – if the PSP were run in conjunction with responsible and appropriate Loss of Licence insurance or ill-health pension provision – it would not destroy anyone’s livelihood. Removing financial jeopardy in this way is very important as it means the pilot community can buy into the concept, and ultimately it encourages pilots to self-report, or peer-report, rather than cover up to protect a career or the ‘ability to pay the mortgage’.

When was the PSP concept developed?

PSP may be new in Belgium but is not a new concept. And many have been helping people for decades. Ranging from the ‘Mayday Foundation’s Critical Incident Stress Management programme, Lufthansa’s ‘Anti-skid’, or HIMS, all of them are considered not only an effective means of prevention but also an effective ‘means of solution’.

In Europe, the concept became more widely-known after the Germanwings tragedy (see article below) and EASA’s recommendations, which included the implementation of a PSP. Since then, EASA developed a regulation (Reg. EU 2018/1042 (23 July 2018), which will make it compulsory for all airlines in the EU to ensure their crews get access to a PSP. The legislation will come into force on 14 August 2020.

The concept has been around for years – in Europe, the US, and elsewhere –, is well developed, and benefits from support within the medical community.

Where are we in Belgium?

The level of implementation is very different from one airline to another. ASLB is probably the Belgium-based airline that is the most advanced so far. They have already agreed to the principle and are busy drafting the documents and procedures, working hand in hand with BeCA and union delegates, which is of paramount importance. In some other airlines, though, the process has not yet started or has been launched without proper involvement of pilots (see box above). BeCA urges all airlines to start working on a system as soon as possible and involve their pilot representatives.

What is BeCA’s standpoint?

For BeCA (as well as ECA and IFALPA) this is the single most effective measure to break the taboo and tackle mental health issues among pilots – which doesn’t necessarily mean it will be able to ‘save all souls’. Similar to our association’s vision, the idea is that pilots (peers) are helping fellow pilots. A Peer/Pilot Support Programme (PSP) should be a safe harbour built on solid protocols and procedures, with the aim of getting people back ‘on the line’ as soon as possible. Ran by volunteers, supported by accredited aviation psychologists, with direct access to rehabilitation facilities, backed by the authorities and funded by the airlines.

In 2017, the European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP), the European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), the European Cockpit Association (ECA) and Stiftung Mayday founded a non-profit body, called the European Pilot Peer Support Initiative (EPPSI) (http://eppsi.eu) which aims to facilitate communication between the interested parties, exchange and promote best practices, advice and information. EPPSI has been instrumental in drafting the new regulation on PSP.

BeCA actively promotes the implementation of a pragmatic PSP. We want to avoid that this new regulation become a tick-in-the-box exercise. Instead, we seek active participation from stakeholders – BCAA, AMEs, aviation psychologists, airlines and sister pilot associations (e.g. USALPA) – in order to facilitate a setup which can provide real help to pilots facing difficult times.

In short, why should airlines & pilots be in favour of Peer Support Programmes?

Pilots:

1. It provides a safe harbour for pilots facing mental health issues, addiction or going through troubling times.
2. It allows pilots to get help through trained peers/colleagues who can relate to their work context.
3. When approaching the PSP, pilots are not stigmatised and can count on confidentiality while solving their own issues supported by specialists.

Airlines:

1. Supporting employees to overcome personal problems is morally the right thing to do and secures future commitment.
2. Helping crews in order to get back on track as soon as possible makes economic sense i.e. it is far cheaper than having to recruit, hire and train new pilots.