Narcolepsy / Sleep Apnea

hrjm

I have a ee that admitted to his supervisor that he suffers from Narcolepsy / Sleep Apnea. The supervisor and I are concerned that his position as a code enforcement officer is in jeparody. I would appreciate any assistance in taking any action!

sonny

I am no expert, but believe these would be two different conditions.

Just curious as to why this is jeopordizing his position?

sonny

Will one of you gurus with more expertise jump in here to help?

System

My understanding was that narcolepsy was simply falling asleep "suddenly"..you might be standing or you might be sitting! I understood that sleep apnea was a breathing problem that occurs as you sleep. I didn't think that one necessarily meant you had the other.

I would think that a person in a "driving" job..or handling moving equipment..or those type jobs could have a problem for sure. And of course, most employers would have a problem with anyone sleeping on the job!

Did ee offer medical verification - ask for some consideration - or indicate he was on medication to control the condition (if that's even possible)?

System

Sleep Apnea is actually a very danegerous condition and can severely affect the quality of sleep one gets. I read somwhere that people have come close to death in their sleep by just not breathing for too long a time. One of my friends has it and has to wear this rather complicated device on his face when he goes to sleep.
I suspect that if the ee is falling asleep at work it is not due to narcolepsy but due to lack of sleep.
My friend has no problems now that he has the device. Can the ee go to their Dr. and find some kind of solution there?

gillian2

Correct. The device is called a C-Pap machine and when the respiratory therapist dropped mine off he said I could get a discount on the electricity because it is life support equipment. I wasn't ready to hear that so I am now 25 pounds lighter and exercise regularly. The fatigue one has before going to see the doctor is absolutely unbelievable and now I think that I know the reason when I read newspaper stories about some middle-aged man who for some unknown reason went to sleep at the wheel and went of the road. I do get the electricity discount. I can't figure out how much it is though.

Nat

>I have a ee that admitted to his supervisor that he suffers from
>Narcolepsy / Sleep Apnea. The supervisor and I are concerned that his
>position as a code enforcement officer is in jeparody. I would
>appreciate any assistance in taking any action!

I too believe that these are two separate conditions. Is the employee falling asleep at work? Is a code enforcement officer a safety sensitive job (could he or others get hurt if he falls asleep?) Is this a self-diagnosis? Unless there is a safety concern or performance concern (like falling asleep at work), I don't think I would do anything right now. If you're thinking disability, remember the employee could be covered under the ADA if you "treat" him like he has a disability so I would be very careful about using the words disability, accommodation, when referring to his work before you get a real diagnosis.

I had an employee who had narcolepsy but after going to the doctor he was able to control it. My employee didn't even know he had it though. We confronted him about job performance when he started falling asleep during meetings or activities. He went to the doctor and was diagnosed. With treatment, he was able to perform his normal job duties.

There are some more experienced than I though, who may think differently.

njjel

We have an employee who is continually falling asleep at his desk, in meetings, seminars etc. He is the brunt of many company jokes. However, he has not requested any ADA accommodation (if this is even covered). He holds an office job so driving doesn't factor in here as far as work is concerned. His evaluation is coming due and his supervisor wants to know if she can write him up for sleeping on the job? I don't want to trigger an ADA but wonder what would you all suggest?

Theresa Gegen TX

Write him up. The ADA is not triggared UNLESS he gives a medical reason for falling asleep. If he does, then he should just be asked about reasonable accomodations that can help him.

Good Luck!