Regulators Pull Plan To Test Truckers, Train Operators For Sleep Apnea
Two U.S. agencies are ending their push to screen truck drivers and train operators a year after saying the sleep disorder "can cause unintended sleep episodes and resulting deficits in attention."
Two agencies in the Transportation Department are ending their push for a rule that would have required truck drivers and train operators to be tested for obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that's been linked to preventable accidents.
The agencies — the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration they published in March of 2016, when they wrote that when it goes undiagnosed or inadequately treated, obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, "can cause unintended sleep episodes and resulting deficits in attention, concentration, situational awareness, and memory, thus reducing the capacity to safely respond to hazards when performing safety sensitive duties."
