Doctor examines guards' sleep patterns

The findings of an additional report concerning residential security were released yesterday, in conjunction with a committee's recommendations about the fate of the University's contract with McGinn Security Services. This report was written by Richard Schwab, clinical director for the Penn Center for Sleep Disorders at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Schwab says in his report that the problem of guards sleeping on the job is not exclusive to McGinn security guards. "It is extremely difficult to completely prevent shift workers from occasionally falling asleep during the midnight shift," Schwab stated. He added that security guards found sleeping on the job should not have been immediately fired but taken for counseling to determine the cause of sleepiness. Before The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that five guards were found sleeping on the job on March 17, Schwab said McGinn guards were not allowed to eat, drink coffee or listen to a radio while on the job. Since the DP story, Joseph McGinn Sr., president of the firm, and Joseph McGinn Jr., vice president, have met with Schwab to discuss ways in which the nature of the guards' shifts can be changed to ensure they stay awake. McGinn guards are now permitted to drink coffee, eat and listen to the radio while on duty. Between 2:30 a.m. and 7 a.m., guards are also contacted every 15 minutes by telephone or radio to make sure they are awake. Schwab had McGinn guards fill out a sleep questionnaire to see if there were any guards with sleep disorders. He concluded that the lack of stimulation during the night shift, combined with sleep deprivation that occurs among security guards who work the night shift, cause guards to fall asleep on the job. "I think guards from any security company would have fallen asleep given the situation that existed," Schwab wrote.

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