The American Sleep Apnea Association recently presented Schneider National with its first American Sleep Apnea Award to commend the Green Bay, Wis.-based carrier for the implementation of its detection and treatment program aimed at drivers who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.
“We wanted to ensure this inaugural award was presented to a company who has gone above and beyond to provide treatment and support to the health and safety of its work force,” says Edward Grandi, ASAA executive director. “The program Schneider implemented was innovative and proactive and has been successful in many ways. We feel it will serve as the example by which all other award recipients will be measured from this point forward.”
ASAA is committed to reducing injury, disability and death from sleep apnea. Schneider’s internal program has generated awareness within the trucking industry and educated drivers about the disorder, which is why ASAA chose Schneider National as the first recipient of the award.
“Because the symptoms of sleep apnea are dangerous and potentially deadly, we felt it was imperative to create a program aimed at improving the health and safety of our drivers,” says Don Osterberg, vice president of safety and training for Schneider National. “The drivers we determined to be ‘high risk,’ based upon a prescreen questionnaire, were provided with a treatment program. This approach has greatly improved the overall health of these drivers, reduced our healthcare benefits costs and delivered a 30 percent reduction in accident frequency due to driver fatigue.”
Schneider National accepted the ASAA award at the American Trucking Associations’ Safety and Human Resources National Conference and Exhibition in Pittsburgh on Sept. 21.
