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FMCSA, FRA seek input on sleep apnea

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Photo: DonFord1/iStock/Thinkstock

Washington – Transportation officials want to hear from stakeholders about the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among rail workers and commercial motor vehicle drivers, as well as the best methods to diagnose and treat the disorder.

On March 8, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced an advance notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at learning more about the effects of obstructive sleep apnea on transportation workers in safety-sensitive positions.

FRA and FMCSA are considering whether to propose requirements aimed at improving safety for workers with obstructive sleep apnea. The decision follows a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board, which advised the Department of Transportation to address sleep apnea screening and treatment. Sleep apnea is a respiratory disorder that interferes with sleep and may lead to impairment or inattentiveness on the roads and rails.

To submit a comment on the ANPRM, go to www.regulations.gov and enter “FMCSA-2015-0419” or “FRA-2015-0111” in the search box.

FMCSA Acting Administrator T.F. Scott Darling III asked for all stakeholders to contribute. “The collection and analysis of sound data on the impact of OSA must be our immediate first step,” Darling said in a press release. “We call upon the public to help us better understand the prevalence of OSA among commercial truck and bus drivers, as well as the safety and economic impacts on the truck and bus industries.”

The agencies also announced plans to host three public listening sessions in the near future in Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles.

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James Rosencrans
July 9, 2016
If sleep apnea is as dangerous as driving drunk, why is this not a requirement for all drivers CDL or not? Non CDL holders are involved in far more accidents per mile driven then CDL holders. With the strong regulation, enforcement and conviction of drunk drivers this should be applied to all drivers. Or is the danger far less then Joan Claybrook tried to assert? If it is far less then why the push? Is this a solution looking for a problem with the medical profession the grand beneficiary? At 1.5% primary causal factor in heavy truck/ auto accidents sleep apnea should be one of the last issues/causal factors to address. There is a significant cost to the company and driver with little benefit. Rigid hours of service rules that do not allow reasonable split sleeper berth, lack of safe available parking a are a greater contributor to fatigued driving. Of CDL holders, generally the safest and most experienced drivers could be eliminated from the holding a CDL by answering affirmatively to only three questions on the STOP BANG test, neck size, over 50 and sex. This could be construed as and age/sex biased test. I will concede there are individuals that would benefit from sleep apnea study and treatment. This should be addressed through the physical examination, with far less restrictive standards for the medical examiner to apply then currently proposed.