Louisiana Fast Food Workers Could Face ‘Lie Detector’ in Bathroom

An online survey suggests that for every 100,000 Louisiana residents there are 76.2 fast food restaurants. Food service accounts for just over 9% of the jobs available in Louisiana. And many of those Louisiana restaurant workers, especially those that are considered "fast-food" workers your credibility is about to be called into question.

If you look at the United States as a whole the fast food figures translate to just over one-quarter of a million fast-food restaurants around the country. When you consider that the average American gets a meal from a "fast-food" establishment between one and three times a week you can see why changes in the way those restaurants operate will affect just about all of us.

What is the Security Concern at Louisiana Fast Food Restaurants?

This concern is less about money and honesty and is more about customer and food safety. And yes, it has to do with the sign that we have all seen in a public bathroom.

Okay, unless you've been to Thailand you haven't seen a sign like that. Yeah, they have issues with people washing their feet in the sink. Here in Louisiana and across the nation it's another body part that we want to keep clean or at least wash regularly.

Apparently "Big Brother" is about to join you in the bathroom and make sure that you really did wash your hands thoroughly before returning to work. The solution to the clean hands conundrum is both old school and new school in its technology.

As of this report, some 10,000 food service locations around the world including locations of Taco Bell, Arby's, and Chopt restaurants have installed the Handscanner. The Handscanner is a device developed by a New York startup called PathSpot. And it's a unique weapon in fighting the spread of germs.

The system works like this. An employee washes their hands as usual. They then place their "clean" hands under the Handscanner device. The scanner looks for any "dirt" on the employee's hands. If some is noted, the employee is directed to rewash and then scan again.

Each employee has a unique code that they enter into the scanner after each washing. This way restaurant managers can keep tabs on who is keeping their hands clean and who needs to be reminded. This should eliminate any questions about whether the employee was telling the truth about handwashing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control about two-thirds of food service employees do not wash their hands thoroughly before returning to work. Hence, the reason for the "lie detector" in the bathroom.

As we've mentioned the system is already in place at thousands of locations across the world, which locations in Louisiana have it and will be getting it, we do not know but don't be surprised if you see these Handscanner units popping up more frequently in bathrooms around the state.