ASAA Holds Second Landmark Conference

The American Sleep Apnea Association held the second in a series of conferences addressing sleep apnea in the workplace.

Following the success of last year's first ever sleep apnea and trucking conference, the association expanded this year's meeting to include rail, aviation, marine and transit as well.

The event was co-sponsored with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.

Stakeholders from government, occupational medicine, labor, industry and the sleep community came together for two days of presentations on the health, safety and economics of sleep apnea in transportation.

Keynote addresses were delivered by the Honorable Jim Hall, former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Honorable Anne Ferro, administrator of the FMCSA.

The highlight of the conference was a roundtable discussion that included medical officers from the FMCSA, FRA, FAA and the Coast Guard. The session was moderated by the former medical director of the NTSB.

A message from several of the conference participants was very clear - it is time to get it done - adopt a regulation for screening, diagnosis and effective treatment of safety sensitive vehicle operators with sleep apnea.

The ASAA will release a position statement on sleep apnea and transportation before the FMCSA public meeting in December.

A conference summary document is in preparation and will be available through the association's web site - www.sleepapnea.org in the near future.