Safe Haven - A new way to declare changes to your medical status.
Safe Haven(external link), a new initiative, provides New Zealand’s pilots and air traffic controllers (ATC) with a confidential space to seek advice about health conditions that may affect their ability to safely fly or operate.
The initiative is designed to build trust, reduce fear of loss of licence or career, and encourage aviation professionals to engage with healthcare early.
Safe Haven is a key strategic joint, co-funded collaboration between the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA), with wider aviation sector support, including from the Aviation Industry Association (AIANZ).
This initiative is the first of its kind and is expected to reduce barriers that prevent aviation professionals from reporting medical concerns due to fear of jeopardising their ability to work or losing their medical certification.
Entry into (and exit from) Safe Haven is a voluntary decision by the pilot or air traffic controller as an alternative to the current system of approaching and informing CAA directly about a change in health and wellbeing status.
There are seven Medical Examiners Safe Haven (MESHs), who have delegations from CAA that allow them to handle a broad range of health problems when reported to them by CAA medical certificate holders.
Pilots and air traffic controllers can select and contact their Safe Haven MESH by the method chosen by that MESH on the Safe Haven website(external link). MESHs can also be identified on the CAA NZ medical examiners website. MESH may contact you by phone or virtually initially – or make an appointment to see when this is required.
When handling a case under Safe Haven, the MESHs are not subject to the usual requirements to notify CAA Medical of the details of the case. The MESH manages the case as they see fit, including removing the person temporarily from flying/operating if necessary. Escalation to CAA is only required in certain specified conditions which are safety-critical or expected to be long-term.
Safe Haven has a defined escalation pathway, agreed by NZALPA and CAA, for the rare situations where escalation is required. If the MESH determines that a medical certificate needs to be suspended, this can be done by notifying CAA only that the suspension is occurring under Safe Haven, without providing any medical details. Under Safe Haven, certificate holders (pilots or ATCOs) meet their notification obligations simply by engaging with the MESH.
This service is free, though very time‑intensive cases may have some limits unless extra support is approved.
The Safe Haven website is now live.
Further information, contact details and FAQs are all available on: www.safehaven.kiwi(external link)
The medical director of Safe Haven, Dr Dave Powell, is a respected partner of NZALPA. He is available at david@flyingmedicine.com for any queries regarding this new initiative.
