DRUG DETECTION
In one test for DUI, police shine a light in a driver's face and monitor eye movement and pupil dilation. Now a new device called SafetyScope, manufactured by Torrance, California-based Eye Dynamics (www.eyedynamics.com), gives employers a computerized version of this test so they can tell whether their employees are fit for the day's work.
An employee looks into the SafetyScope and focuses on a moving beam of light. A video camera records the action, and software analyzes eye movement (smooth or jerky) and pupil dilation (small or large) and renders a verdict on whether there's any impairment. But a failed test doesn't necessarily mean that illegal substances are involved. "Many things can cause a person to be impaired: hypoglycemia, fatigue, a reaction to a prescription, abuse of over-the-counter medications," says company chair Ron Waldorf.
Among the device's early adopters is Labor Station, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based temp agency. SafetyScope is "a hell of a lot cheaper and faster than urine testing," says CEO Ross Campesi, who adds that employees who fail the optical test are required to take a urine test.
However, Robert Ellis Smith, publisher of Privacy Journal, questions the ethics and accuracy of SafetyScope.
"It's dangerous to sell a device that's not reliable enough to offer conclusive results," says Smith. "And we know full well that it will be used that way. Unfortunately, there's no law against using evidence from an inaccurate machine to fire someone."
Eye Dynamics officials, who claim the test has an accuracy rate of 91 percent, say they encourage employers to confirm any positive results with urinalysis or a blood test. And they contend that SafetyScope is less invasive than other screening methods, because it measures impairment at the time of testing. In contrast, urinalysis can detect drugs in the system weeks after they're taken.
"We're not looking at lifestyle; we're just looking at whether a person is fit for duty when they're on the company's nickel," says Waldorf. "Our system is not demeaning. There are no bodily fluids involved."
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