Occupational health experts are criticizing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision to withdraw a rule that would have required workers in safety sensitive jobs to be screened for a sleep disorder that could affect their work performance.
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) says that formal rulemaking is necessary to standardize the criteria used by medical examiners to evaluate the prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) among key workers in highway and rail transportation. Those who suffer from sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, depriving the brain of sufficient oxygen.