In a recent study published in Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy (April - May 2007), the authors found that as many as 50 percent of transportation workers studied had undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially life-threatening breathing-related sleep disorder that often goes undiagnosed and untreated. The study findings were accompanied by a second article that analyzed the legal ramification of OSA in the transportation industry. The legal article emphasizes the responsibility drivers now have to ensure they are fit for duty to be socially responsible, avoid tort liability, and possibly even jail time, if they cause an accident. It also identifies steps that employers and clinicians can take to reduce the likelihood of paying punitive damages if a driver has an accident due to OSA.
“Parties in the trucking industry have not paid sufficient attention to the risk of undiagnosed OSA,” stated Donald L. Carper, a professor emeritus in the College of Business at California State University, Sacramento and co-author of the study. “Drivers, their employers and clinicians all have potential legal exposure resulting from undiagnosed OSA. The overall awareness of OSA, its seriousness and attendant risks has reached the point that ignoring this problem will undoubtedly carry a high price in the future.”
The prevalence of undiagnosed OSA has increased within the transportation industry. During the past twelve years, studies have shown significant awareness of OSA within the trucking industry — from employers and employees. This recent study, conducted by Advanced Brain Monitoring, found no significant differences in the prevalence of undiagnosed OSA among pre-hires or transportation managers. Results in both groups were similar to those obtained by researchers at Stanford University during the 1990s. The research suggests the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, combined with an increasingly older and heavier commercial driver population, requires specific and actionable steps to preserve the safety of the US motoring public.
“Parties in the trucking industry have not paid sufficient attention to the risk of undiagnosed OSA,” stated Donald L. Carper, a professor emeritus in the College of Business at California State University, Sacramento and co-author of the study. “Drivers, their employers and clinicians all have potential legal exposure resulting from undiagnosed OSA. The overall awareness of OSA, its seriousness and attendant risks has reached the point that ignoring this problem will undoubtedly carry a high price in the future.”
The prevalence of undiagnosed OSA has increased within the transportation industry. During the past twelve years, studies have shown significant awareness of OSA within the trucking industry — from employers and employees. This recent study, conducted by Advanced Brain Monitoring, found no significant differences in the prevalence of undiagnosed OSA among pre-hires or transportation managers. Results in both groups were similar to those obtained by researchers at Stanford University during the 1990s. The research suggests the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, combined with an increasingly older and heavier commercial driver population, requires specific and actionable steps to preserve the safety of the US motoring public.
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