Employee Polygraph Protection Act
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 (EPPA) is a United States federal law that generally prevents employers from using polygraph (lie detector) tests, either for pre-employment screening or during the course of employment, with certain exemptions.
According to testimony given in the United States Senate, before the law was adopted, some 400,000 workers were annually suffering adverse consequences after being wrongly flunked on polygraphs.[1]
Under EPPA, most private employers may not require or request any employee or job applicant to take a lie detector test, or discharge, discipline, or discriminate against anybody for refusing to take a test or for exercising other rights under the act. However, the act does permit polygraph tests to be administered to certain applicants for job with security firms (such as armored car, alarm, and guard companies) and of pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers. The law does not cover federal, state, and local government agencies.[2]
In addition, employers are required to display a poster in the workplace explaining the EPPA for their employees.
References
[edit]- ↑ Koerner, Brendan I. (November 2002). "Lie Detector Roulette". Mother Jones. 27 (6). Retrieved 2026-07-21.
- ↑ Koerner 2002.
External links
[edit]- U.S. Department of Labor EPPA page
- Text of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act - 29 U.S. Code Chapter 22
- Federal EPPA Labor Law Poster
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