The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s medical review board will soon offer new recommendations for changing standards and practice for medical examiners diagnosing and treating truck drivers for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Specifically, the board will make suggestions to the agency on the disposition of comments from medical professionals and associations, as well as from safety advocacy, labor and industry groups.
Earlier this year, FMCSA and Federal Railroad Administration issued the ANPR as a first step to consider whether to propose requirements specifically on sleep apnea.
The agency has cited estimates that 22 million men and women could be suffering from undiagnosed OSA, a respiratory disorder characterized by a reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep that can lead to unintended sleep episodes and deficits in attention, concentration, situational awareness, memory and the capacity to safely respond to hazards when performing safety-sensitive service.
“The collection and analysis of sound data on the impact of OSA must be our immediate first step,” FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling said in March. “We call upon the public to help us better understand the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among commercial truck and bus drivers, as well as the safety and economic impacts on the truck and bus industries.”
