This week is Sleep Awareness Week. The theme this year, “Begin with Sleep,” highlights the importance of good sleep health for individuals to best achieve their personal, family, and professional goals.

In this episode of Behind-the-Scene @NTSB, we talk with Mary Pat McKay, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer; Jana Price, PhD, Senior Human Performance Investigator, Office of Research and Engineering; and Jeff Marcus, Acting Chief, Safety Recommendations Division, about our biological need for sleep, the importance of screening for and treating sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, NTSB fatigue-related accident and crash investigations, and ways to address and mitigate fatigue risk across transportation modes.

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The NTSB has been long concerned with the issue of fatigue in transportation. We’ve issued more than 200 safety recommendations across the transportation modes directly related to fatigue. Several recommendations specifically address obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.

Reduce Fatigue-Related Accidents and Require Medical Fitness – Screen for and Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea are issues on the 2019-2020 NTSB Most Wanted List. To learn more about the Most Wanted List and related safety recommendations, visit https://ntsb.gov/safety/mwl/Pages/default.aspx.

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