Industrial workers and truck drivers are already at an increased risk of workplace and roadside accidents. For these reasons, it is important that workers maintain their reaction time, cognitive capabilities, and stay awake at the job.
A 2019 study published in the J-Stage Journal of Industrial Health studied the effects of CPAP treatment on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers with sleep disordered breathing (SDB). CMV drivers with sleep disordered breathing face an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents compared to drivers without it. As can be expected, this is unsafe, costly, and increases use of company resources, while raising financial risk for all concerned parties. After screening 1,313 truck drivers in Japan, it was found that 25.7% of them meet criteria for SDB.
According to the 2015 Pocket Guide to Large Truck and Bus Statistics by the FMCSA DOT, from 2004 to 2013, 3,133-8,952 deaths and 77,000-220,000 serious injuries were determined to have most likely been caused by commercial drivers suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) due to SDB.
A 2016 Study in the US published in SLEEP, evaluated the impact of non-adherence to sleep apnea treatment in US truck drivers and found that drivers with obstructive sleep apnea had a fivefold greater risk of serious crashes that could have been prevented, compared to drivers without SDB.
They also found that drivers on CPAP therapy had comparable risk to those without sleep apnea, suggesting that CPAP therapy is an effective treatment for improving driver safety.
Catching Obstructive Sleep Apnea and effectively treating it with a combination of weight loss and CPAP therapy is the route to safety for professional drivers and others who work with dangerous equipment and machinery.
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