NEW YORK – US Senator Charles Schumer called on the US Department of Transportation to reverse its decision to end the rulemaking process that would require sleep apnea screening and treatment mandates for railroad engineers.
“After the tragedies in Brooklyn and Hoboken, and at Spuyten-Duyvil, it is clearer than ever that apnea screening tests for train operators is a common sense precaution that can save lives,” the senator said on Sunday. “The Trump administration is asleep at the switch if they do not heed the latest NTSB recommendation to reinstate this commonsense apnea rule. The DOT must get across sleep apnea screening back on track on track before it is too late – this puts them on notice.”
Schumer has sent a letter to the DOT following a National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation concluding that two recent crashes in Brooklyn and Hoboken were the result of train engineers’ fatigue and their employers’ failure to screen and treat for sleep apnea.
He noted that despite sleep apnea-related crashed, the DOT last year abandoned their proposed rule last year. The senator said the DOT should immediately get its rulemaking back on track to help avoid future fatigue-related rail tragedies.
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