EEOC Acts to Block Genetic Testing

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has gone to court to block a major railroad company from forcibly peeking into the genetic makeup of employees who submit claims for work-related carpal tunnel syndrome.

EEOC claimed the Burlington Northern Santa Re Railroad violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by taking blood samples from employees for genetic testing, and asked a federal court in Iowa for an injunction Feb 9.

BNSF, which operates the second-largest railroad in the United States, has stopped the testing, and denied EEOC’s claim that it frequently sought the test or disciplined anyone who refused to take it, according to the Wall Street Journal.

However, EEOC is standing by its claims and will continue to investigate whether the company forced employees to give information on their genetic makeup and then used that information to make employment decisions, the newspaper said.

In its court petition, EEOC said BNSF ordered the blood samples, which were tested for “Chromosome 17 deletion” to determine whether an employee had a genetic predisposition for some forms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

For the full story, see the Feb. 19 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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