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Trump withdraws sleep testing rule for railroad employees


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 08 August 2017 - 08:54 AM

The Record, Hackensack, NJ 8/5/17:
 

Trump withdraws sleep testing rule for trucking, railroad employees

 

 

The Trump administration has withdrawn a proposed requirement for railroads and trucking companies to test employees for obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder believed to be a factor in last year's fatal train crash at Hoboken Terminal.

 

In their announcement withdrawing the proposal Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said they'd encourage trucking and rail companies to voluntarily screen employees involved in safety-sensitive work, such as truck drivers and train engineers, for sleep apnea.

 

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Note:  A global search for 'apnea' produces 19 related topics dating to 2005.



#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 08 August 2017 - 09:04 AM

AP Top News, 8/8/17:
 

US nixes sleep apnea test plan for truckers, train engineers

 

 

U.S. officials are abandoning plans to require sleep apnea screening for truck drivers and train engineers, a decision that safety experts say puts millions of lives at risk.

 

The Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said late last week that they are no longer pursuing the regulation that would require testing for the fatigue-inducing disorder that’s been blamed for deadly rail crashes in New York City and New Jersey and several highway crashes.

 

The agencies argue that it should be up to railroads and trucking companies to decide whether to test employees. One railroad that does test, Metro-North in the New York City suburbs, found that 11.6 percent of its engineers have sleep apnea.

 

The decision to kill the sleep apnea regulation is the latest step in President Donald Trump’s campaign to drastically slash federal regulations. The Trump administration has withdrawn or delayed hundreds of proposed regulations since he took office in January — moves the president has said will help bolster economic growth.

 

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#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 08 August 2017 - 09:06 AM

The Record, Hackensack, NJ 8/5/17:
 

Trump withdraws sleep testing rule for trucking, railroad employees

 

 

The Trump administration has withdrawn a proposed requirement for railroads and trucking companies to test employees for obstructive sleep apnea,  .  .  .


 

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Note:  A global search for 'apnea' produces 19 related topics dating to 2005.

 

Sleep apnea "can cause unintended sleep episodes and resulting deficits in attention, concentration, situational awareness, and memory, thus reducing the capacity to safely respond to hazards when performing safety sensitive duties," the agencies wrote in a notice published Friday in the Federal Register.

 

But they said they would not make sleep apnea screenings mandatory, as first proposed by the Obama administration in March 2016.

 



#4 CNJRoss

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Posted 09 August 2017 - 10:25 AM

ABC News, 8/8/17:
 

Experts: Lives at risk if no sleep tests for train engineers

 

 

U.S. officials are abandoning plans to require sleep apnea screening for truck drivers and train engineers, a decision that safety experts say puts millions of lives at risk.

 

SNIP

 

"It's very hard to argue that people aren't being put at risk," said Sarah Feinberg, the former administrator of the FRA, who had issued the safety advisory in December. "We cannot have someone who is in that condition operating either a train going 70 mph or operating a multi-ton truck traveling down the interstate. It's just not an appropriate level of risk to be exposing passengers and the traveling public to."

 

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was disappointed the agencies decided to scrap the "much-needed rulemaking."

 

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#5 CNJRoss

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Posted 09 August 2017 - 10:30 AM

The New York Times,​ 8/7/17:

Secrecy and Suspicion Surround Trump’s Deregulation Teams

 

 

When President Trump ordered federal agencies to form teams to dismantle government regulations, the Transportation Department turned to people with deep industry ties.

 

One appointee had previously lobbied the department on behalf of American Airlines. Another held executive roles for several electric and hybrid car companies regulated by the department. A third was a lawyer who represented United Airlines in regulatory matters.

 

The three appointees have been identified by The New York Times and ProPublica in a continuing effort to track members of the deregulation teams. The appointments, previously unreported, follow a pattern identified by the two news organizations: By and large, the Trump administration has stacked the teams with political appointees, some of whom may be reviewing rules their former employers sought to weaken or kill.

 

A full vetting of industry connections has been difficult because some agencies have declined to provide information about the appointees — not even their names.

 

 

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#6 CNJRoss

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Posted 27 August 2017 - 04:33 PM

Progressive Railroading, 8/23/17:

 
Senators call on Chao to reconsider sleep apnea rule

 

U.S. Senate Democrats have asked the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to reconsider its recent decision to withdraw an Obama-era proposal to mandate sleep apnea testing for train operators and commercial truck drivers.

In a letter sent Monday to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the senators asked for the data the USDOT used to make the decision to withdraw the rule, along with the department's plan to identify and treat rail operators and truckers diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.

"We strongly believe that USDOT should immediately reconsider the decision in order to help avoid future fatigue-related tragedies," stated the letter, which was signed by U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

 

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#7 CNJRoss

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Posted 03 September 2017 - 07:49 PM

The Record, Hackensack, NJ 8/25/17:
 

Editorial: Reinstate mandated sleep apnea screening

 

 

Screening for sleep apnea for truck drivers hauling large loads and railroad engineers carrying railcars filled with hundreds of passengers is one more safety check that could save lives, and might prevent tragic accidents, especially in the heavily traveled Northeast. Yet in the Trump administration, thoughtful rules and regulations, even those protecting the environment, can be seen as intrusive, a burden on the free flow of commerce.

 

Well, there are costs, and then there are costs. And the loss of life is not an acceptable price to pay for inaction.

 

As Staff Writer Curtis Tate reported, the Trump administration’s decision earlier this month to drop an Obama-era proposal requiring railroad and trucking companies to test employees for obstructive sleep apnea runs counter to standard industry practice, expert recommendations and rules already in place at several transportation authorities.

 

It also goes against the grain of common sense.

 

SNIP

 

Clearly, sleep apnea is an emerging health issue, and when it involves truck drivers, railroad engineers or people who operate heavy machinery, it has to be taken seriously. By thwarting efforts for effective, across-the-board screenings for the sleep disorder, especially where it concerns interstate travel and commerce, the White House is throwing caution to the wind, and hoping for the best.

 

This rollback is reckless, irresponsible and unacceptable. Trump should order the agencies to reinstate the screenings.

 

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#8 CNJRoss

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Posted 08 September 2017 - 12:28 PM

Progressive Railroading,9/8/17:

 
U.S House OKs measure to provide funds for rail-worker medical fitness standards

 

 

The House has passed an amendment that would provide funds to support medical fitness standards for rail workers.

Introduced by U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), the amendment calls for setting aside $1 million for the Federal Railroad Administration to establish medical fitness standards for critical safety personnel at railroads.

The standards would ensure that train operators and other rail employees are fit to serve in critical safety roles, according to a press release issued by Lowey's office.

 

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#9 CNJRoss

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Posted 03 October 2017 - 08:05 AM

Progressive Railroading, 9/29/17:

 
Democrats introduce bill mandating sleep apnea testing

 

Members of Congress representing New York and New Jersey have introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to mandate sleep apnea tests for commercial truckers and rail operators.

The legislation would reverse a recent decision by President Donald Trump's administration to reverse the department's proposed rule to require truck drivers and train operators to be tested for sleep apnea and, if diagnosed with the condition, receive treatment for it.

Introducing the bill in the Senate were Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). Introducing the bill in the House were U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.) and Albio Sires (D-N.J.).

The bill was introduced on the heels of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) findings released last week that confirmed the engineer involved in the deadly 2016 crash of a New Jersey Transit train in Hoboken, New Jersey, was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea after the incident but not tested during an examination two months prior.

 

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Related:  Addressing sleep apnea in public transit operations






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