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Metro-North considers sleep apnea screening for train operators
After almost 6 months after the accident, they are considering it? MBTA has set the precedence, I don’t see the problem with right away screening.
If we are going to screen locomotive engineers for this VERY COMMON disorder, why not truck drivers? There are far more truck drivers potentially putting far more people at risk on the highways.
Being the devil’s advocate(and having a very mild form of sleep apnea myself, one so mild that my CPAP was set at the lowest possible setting, and which I no longer even need just by losing a some weight in my neck), just what would the purpose of testing for sleep apnea do…since they can not deny employment to qualified individuals based on medical condition(that’s an illegal form of discrimination), and they very well can’t force the person to use a CPAP or BPAP if medically suggested by a physician(they can suggest you use one, but can’t force it upon you). Really though, measuring neck size and asking a spouse about snoring patterns proves absolutely nothing, I work at the airport, and I’ve seen perfectly healthy looking individuals(both male and female, and I mean healthy looking by having a trim body) come through with CPAP machines, so having a thick neck proves nothing, just as snoring doesn’t prove you have sleep apnea. And before anyone says anything, I realize that letting it go untreated can result in death(your own, from lack of oxygen to the brain), but that should still be up the person whether they get treated for it or not, and using a CPAP/BPAP is not the only way to treat sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea screening is and has been part of the required Medical Certification for holders of Commercial Drivers Licenses for 3 years. It was required after it became a significant contributing factor in accidents involving both buses and trucks. Most of the larger trucking companies also do training is the subject so drivers will recognize when they are fatigued and should get more rest. It would not be a stretch for railroads to use the same criteria testing and training.
They can deny employment based on a medical condition. For example, you can’t be a Class I locomotive engineer if you are color blind. Personally, I would rather be tested for sleep apnea than have a video camera in the cab. However, the best (though most expensive) way to prevent this is PTC.
I would guess that it has to do with the amount of potential deaths from an accident. Humans tend to become more upset by the amount of deaths at one time than they are from total deaths. Although vehicle deaths per year have steadily dropped from the early 80’s (51,091) to 34,080 in 2012, it is way more than the 475 deaths by airliner during the same year. Because of the potential to kill 475 people in just one crash, the public has demanded that the government strongly regulate aviation. Because there is also a high potential to kill many in a passenger train accident, it appears the public may be requiring more regulation and oversight over the railroad. Death by car is accepted where death by train or plane is not. Does the acceptance come from people’s belief that as a driver they are in control of their life whereas on a train or plane; they are just passengers in control of nothing?
I would think that would be part of a required annual physical and evaluation be done by a doctor, involving a spouse is not advisable .
Most of the big trucking co do check you for sleep apnea I no the one I work for does Charles
As to the wait in implementation, I would guess that the proposed screening would have the union’s blessing as well as pass patient privacy laws.
@Larry, well, being color blind(depending on which colors you can’t distinguish) would preclude an engineer from being able to read the signals, thereby preventing him from being capable of performing one of his functions. Sleep apnea in of itself does not prevent you from doing any job functions…and I’m quite sure that could easily be backed up in a court of law if it were necessary. I always include the condition in my job applications, and provide the test results if requested.
There’s nothing that says an engineer must get adequate rest while off duty. No way to enforce it either. So work all day, party all night. No one would do this, but I worked with an individual who had two jobs; there was a lack of quality during his day job with me. Fortunately no dangerous equipment or a threat to others. We just had to pick up the slack.
L.Rowell-I suggest you read up on PTC BEFORE posting.PTC would have had ZERO effect on the Metro-North wreck as all signals were clear and there were no conflicting movements.PTC only effects train vs. train incidents,which by the way are only THREE PERCENT of all rail accidents.The public is being sold false security and the railroads are having a really expensive suppository inserted.
ANd PTC has already failed in a Chicago on a passenger train.back about a year ago.