
Transportation Industry
Sleep and Planes, Trains and Automobiles—and Trucks, Buses, Motorcycles!
Periodically, issues of sleep and transportation flash into the media in dramatic ways—air traffic controllers asleep in the tower, big rig drivers asleep at the wheel, pilots overshooting the airport from lack of sleep. When sleep disorders and transportation combine, there are near misses, and there are terrible tragedies.
Everyday in our clinics CSI helps patients with sleep issues that affect their performance behind the wheel. We collaborate with a non-profit foundation that addresses the dangers of drowsy driving and we participate in the National Sleep Foundation’s educational campaigns about drowsy driving. We know that sleep disorders and driving or operating transportation equipment do not mix.
In addition, CSI works with trucking, transit and transportation businesses to address the impact of poor sleep, inadequate sleep and sleep disorders on their safety practices and performance.
Commercial Carriers, Transit Companies and Sleep
The US Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have increased focus on sleep, sleep disorders and commercial transportation because of critical safety issues to the drivers and the public. In addition, commercial carrier companies have come to realize that sleepy drives disrupt operations, increase healthcare insurance costs, increase litigation rates and profoundly affect the company’s reputation through accidents or a poor safety record.
These same concerns affect mass transit employees and organizations as well, with an increased exponential impact of possible death or injury caused by sleep-related performance issues. Less than four hours of sleep increases risk for motor vehicle accident by 11.5 times. And drivers with untreated Obstructive sleep Apnea are seven times more likely to be in an auto accident.
We are active partners with our transportation industry clients in addressing their performance and regulatory issues associated with sleep and sleep disorders. We have the experience to design and execute a Sleep Health and Performance program that produces the results you need.
If you are interested in developing a sleep program for your transportation company and your employees, please call our Chief Operating Officer at 314-645-5855 and talk with him about the Clayton Sleep Institute Sleep Health and Performance program for transportation companies.
The CSI Solution: Better Sleep, Better Business!
Our five-step program includes:
- Education—we address drivers and operators as well as their spouses about the critical nature of sleep to their health, performance, wellbeing and safety
- Identify at Risk Employees—we train company physicians and we implement a survey and assessments that allow us to screen for potential at-risk drivers
- Screening—a team of CSI sleep specialists assigned to meet individually with employees and provide guidance on sleep hygiene and problems and refer patients who require testing or other evaluation on an optimized schedule to prevent disruption to work schedules
- Treatment—a plan of treatment may be as simple as behavioral changes or prescription of medication and/or a CPAP medical device to address breathing issues during sleep, or perhaps additional counseling
- Efficacy—CSI tracks cost-effectiveness, compliance monitoring for CPAP, documentation of driver alertness and tracking for Actigraphy measurements