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Allergic US employee sues to ban perfume at work
Yahoo ^
| July 5, 2007
Posted on 07/05/2007 8:55:27 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
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To: 10mm
Amended to add that for the public sector, where this woman was employed, the policy should be that which puts the least burden on the taxpayers. In this case, a ban on perfume in the office.
21
posted on
07/05/2007 10:12:04 AM PDT
by
10mm
To: HeadOn
There are a number of perfumes that give me a splitting headache, sometimes to the point of nausea. I cannot be in the vicinity of a perfume counter in a department store ever. But I have found that a little dab of Vicks Vapo Rub on my nostrils works like a charm to protect myself from unwanted perfume molecules. Mentholatum works, too. I haven’t had a problem now in several years because I keep a jar of Vicks in my desk. That way I don’t have to impose my weaknesses on the people I work with.
22
posted on
07/05/2007 10:12:52 AM PDT
by
3AngelaD
(They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
To: COUNTrecount
There is in many cases a middle ground solution. I too suffer the same problem of nasty headaches at work and flu-like symptoms from perfume and cologne. I have to use fragrant free deodorant/.antiperspirants.
I don't expect the world to put Old Spice out of business on my account. That being said, I work in a very large office area and I have narrowed down 99% of my allergic reactions to two people that seem to think they must bathe in perfume before they come to work. Even people who do not suffer from allergic reactions comment on them. If these two women (out of 200) would just put a drop behind each ear they could smell sweet and I wouldn't feel nauseated everyday at work.
The problem then is how does a person deal with women like these without making a federal case out of it or embarrassing or alienating them...
To: 3AngelaD
I have found that a little dab of Vicks Vapo Rub on my nostrils works like a charm to protect myself from unwanted perfume molecules.
Hmmm... I'll have to give that a try!! Thanks!!!
To: 10mm; tsomer
Well, I agree with you to some extent, but c’mon - if she is a good employee making a reasonable request, she ought to have some kind or recourse.
Age, race, & other discriminations are taken seriously, why not medical?
By the way - if you can name me a “fragrance free” employer in the Detroit area, who confirms it on a web site, I’ll agree with you. Can’t find one, can you?
25
posted on
07/05/2007 10:18:09 AM PDT
by
HeadOn
("Socialism['s]...inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill)
To: Eric Blair 2084
26
posted on
07/05/2007 10:19:56 AM PDT
by
Despot of the Delta
("Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience")
To: 3AngelaD
Glad you found that remedy. Unfortunately for people like my Mom, she was also allergic to petroleum produts, even having trouble sometimes eating things out of plastic containers... So Vick’s and Mentholatum would not help...
Allergies are bad stuff, if they get severe. I still say if her co-workers and employers had a little more consideration, there would be no lawsuit.
27
posted on
07/05/2007 10:22:22 AM PDT
by
HeadOn
("Socialism['s]...inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill)
To: HeadOn
I suffer from migranes due to bright colors.
Everyone in my office must wear drab grey.
I suffer from migranes due to loud noises.
Everyone in my office must whisper and tip toe.
< /sarcasm>
28
posted on
07/05/2007 10:25:31 AM PDT
by
IronKros
(Soylent People are Green)
To: IronKros
I suffer from migranes due to bright colors. Everyone in my office must wear drab grey.
Valid point, but you don't have to look at someone's offending bright colors all day. Unlike colors you can smell perfume two dozen cubicles away and never see the person all day. Plus the other persons perfume gets in your own clothes, so just leaving doesn't completely alleviate the problem.
To: COUNTrecount
Smokers told you so. Enjoy your intolerant nanny state.
30
posted on
07/05/2007 10:32:53 AM PDT
by
mysterio
To: Proverbs 3-5
I just want to know where does it end.
I work for a very large international company and have "diverse" employees.
I start gagging every time some decides to nuke yesterday's shrimp and fish-anus sandwich for lunch.
I sit near the kitchen area and sometimes I have to get up and leave the area.
When will we start banning the nuking of broccoli!?
31
posted on
07/05/2007 10:45:05 AM PDT
by
IronKros
(Soylent People are Green)
To: COUNTrecount
This type of ban would be unenforecable. Deodorants, cosmetics, and skin creams all have aromas that linger; shampoo, soap, and detergents also leave scents. (I know someone who can detect if a woman uses a certain brand of shampoo.) How can businesses prevent people from washing their hair or using deodorant? Further, how can businesses prove whose pleasant smell is due to Chanel No. 19, versus Secret Antiperspirant? I feel sorry for people with allergies, but it is unrealistic and unfair for them to expect the world to conform to their needs.
32
posted on
07/05/2007 10:49:29 AM PDT
by
utahagen
To: tsomer
I like Andy Rooney’s take on the wearing of perfume and/or cologne.”If somebody else can smell it, you’re wearing too much”.
To: IronKros
Yeah. I know. Believe me, I get your point. But you deal with what you have to. I think ADA is a crock, mostly, but why would any business refuse to TRY to make accommodations for someone in a wheelchair? Or someone who has some other trouble? If this woman is just a trouble-maker, I’m with you...
Like I’ve said in every post, if there were just SOME effort to work this stuff out, these dumb lawsuits would disappear. But you know, women have a RIGHT to smell like a hooker if they want to and nobody with allergies can suggest they calm it down. Unheeded requests often become demands, which causes rude responses, which in turn ends in a lawsuit...
34
posted on
07/05/2007 10:52:49 AM PDT
by
HeadOn
("Socialism['s]...inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill)
To: HeadOn
My health food store sells a Vicks-like product that does not contain petrolatum, put has the same consistency and the same “vapo.” I think it is based with a vegetable oil product like safflower oil, or one of those alternatives. Try Whole Foods market.
35
posted on
07/05/2007 10:54:02 AM PDT
by
3AngelaD
(They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
To: IronKros
You would have appreciated one of my former colleagues, who kept tuna sandwiches and Fritos open in his desk drawer and I had to run, gagging, from his part of the office. Another nuked product that doesn’t smell very good is popcorn.
36
posted on
07/05/2007 10:56:25 AM PDT
by
3AngelaD
(They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
To: tal hajus
That wasn’t Andy Rooney, that was my Mother!
37
posted on
07/05/2007 10:57:37 AM PDT
by
3AngelaD
(They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
To: utahagen; COUNTrecount
Good point. And that is precisely the point. If it were skunk scent, or tear gas, we would all be agreeing. The decision is where to draw the line, and when the government should get involved or stay away.
These things often remind me of little kids running to Mommy when big sister made a face at them. But, if big sister has a butcher knife, Mommy needs to get involved. The whole idea is: where is the line?
38
posted on
07/05/2007 10:58:19 AM PDT
by
HeadOn
("Socialism['s]...inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill)
To: Abigail Adams
We certainly don’t a choice. People who don’t have allergies or have no experience with family members who do, can certainly think that we allergics are faking it or at least exaggerating our discomfort.
If I could make my allergies go away it would be the happiest day of my life.
39
posted on
07/05/2007 11:03:42 AM PDT
by
Ditter
To: IronKros
I just want to know where does it end.
My Vietnamese coworker eats some pretty fragrant lunches next to me but it don't make me nauseous and the smell dissipates relatively quickly, unlike perfume that permeates for days. There is a difference between not liking an oder and being made physically ill by it.
Like I said in an earlier post, I have no interest in shutting down Old Spice and most problems could be solved without a lot of fanfare if these people would show some consideration and just use a drop or two and not bathe in it. I have no interest in creating an organization of Perfume Nazi's.
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