Earlier this week USA Today reported that the Metro-North New York commuter railroad will hire a firm to screen and test engineers for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) following a deadly crash that was caused by a fatigued engineer who had undiagnosed OSA. The crash killed four people and injured 70 in the Bronx on Dec. 1, 2013. The engineer, who fell asleep before the train derailed, was later diagnosed with OSA.
Metro-North will spend up to $200,000 on a 7-month pilot program. All 410 Metro-North engineers and some 20 engineers in training will have to answer a survey and undergo a physical at Metro-North’s medical facility. Based on those results, engineers will be referred for additional evaluation, including home sleep apnea testing. Officials stated that the program eventually may be expanded to Long Island Railroad and New York City Transit.
