Sleep disorders and fatigue are common, under-recognised contributors to occupational risk, particularly in safety-critical workers, commercial drivers and shift workers. Occupational health clinicians are often asked to make complex decisions about work capacity, driving safety, treatment adequacy and return to duty, frequently with incomplete information and competing expectations from workers, employers and regulators. This interactive workshop will provide a practical framework for assessing sleep-related occupational risk, with a focus on obstructive sleep apnoea, excessive daytime sleepiness, shift work, insufficient sleep and CPAP adherence.

Using case-based discussion, participants will work through common scenarios including commercial drivers with suspected OSA, workers with residual sleepiness despite treatment, shift workers with fatigue-related impairment, and safety-critical

employees with abnormal sleep study results. The session will cover sleep disorder screening, interpretation of sleep study reports, CPAP download review, fitness-for-duty decision-making, documentation and communication with employers and treating clinicians. 

The workshop will combine evidence-based guidance with real-world occupational medicine judgement, aligning with the ASM theme of “Evidence & Experience in Occupational Health.”

Learning Objectives:

By participating in this session, delegates can expect to be able to:

1. Identify occupationally relevant sleep disorders.
2. Assess sleepiness and fatigue risk in safety-critical workers.
3. Interpret sleep study and CPAP adherence data.
4. Apply fitness-for-driving and fitness-for-duty principles.
5. Formulate practical, defensible recommendations for workers and employers.