Government did not accommodate worker’s scent-related sensitivity: claim

National Post ^ | 6/30/11 | Adrian Humphreys

[MissTed]

A federal civil servant who says he took 11 weeks of sick leave because his colleagues wore too much perfume and cologne wants all of his sick time allotment restored, claiming his employer failed to accommodate him.

Terence Juba, who processes immigration applications for the Department of Citizenship and Immigration in Vegreville, Alta., said his debilitating scent sensitivity was triggered by certain fragrances he detected in the office, requiring him to use far more than the 187.5 hours of paid sick leave allowed under the Public Service Alliance of Canada collective bargaining agreement.

When Mr. Juba put up a scent-free zone sign, his colleagues did not respond well, he told a Public Service Labour Relations Board.

[MissTed]

They took the view that they were entitled to wear deodorant, use soap and wear perfumes, and in profane terms, they told him to mind his own business,

Gasp - the nerve of some people!!

[Responsibility2nd]

This stinks!

[FourPeas]

To compensate for the negative balance in his sick leave, Mr. Juba was allowed to work overtime, which could then be exchanged for additional sick leave credits. Mr. Juba worked the overtime but then chose pay instead.

Ooops. Sounds like the guy agreed to one remedy then changed his mind.

[misharu]

I suffer from the same thing and my employers over the years have done nothing. And if you think it is psychosomatic, let me tell my symptoms:

Within seconds of smelling the perfume or hand lotion, my nose starts burning. Then my lips and throat start burning. I then lose my voice because my throat feels raw. In extreme cases, I can even taste the perfume or lotion.

So yes, it stinks and also sucks. I am glad that I now work with people who are compassionate enough not to drown in perfume or use lotion that bothers me.

[End Times Sentinel]

I hate the smell of hard work.

[Marie]

He didn’t want people to wear deodorant???

If he were as scent sensitive as he claims, he’d be *insisting* that people wear deodorant.

I have a very bad nose. My sense of smell is greatly diminished.

But I can smell BO from a mile away.

[Windflier]

I stopped using scents and fragrances sometime in the mid 70s. After not being exposed to them daily for some time, I noticed that I’d become very sensitive to them.

So sensitive, in fact, that a trip down the detergent aisle in the grocery store would nearly suffocate me, and I could be driven from a room by someone’s cologne or perfume.

That said, I never once thought of taking a “sick” day because of it. Sounds to me like someone’s trying to milk the system.

[CSM]

Who could have seen this coming?

[LearsFool]

I have a very sensitive nose, and I like it when women wear perfume. They smell very nice.

[I still care]

I understand that. I really do. I have a family member with severe allergies.

But asking a large number of people not to suddenly not use deodorant or hand lotion is not going to work. You have to find your own position in such cases, not be dropped into an office of people and suddenly expect them to accomodate to you.

Government workers tend to do that; it’s their “right”. And it upsets the entire office.

[chris_bdba]

Sorry but they have not been able to conclude that scents really do what people say they do in reasearch and have pretty much come to the conclusion that those who complain really do not have any problem other than they like to complain.....

[MayflowerMadam]

“Government workers tend to do that; it’s their “right”. And it upsets the entire office.”

In our city office, one secretary terrorized the entire office and made them conform to her sensitivity, whether real or imagined. Thirty people weren’t supposed to wear deoderant. Perfume and lotions were completely taboo.

[misharu]

I gotcha. I wasn’t picking on you, I was just explaining my plight. Plus, as I work in the PRIVATE sector, I have nicer co-workers!

[Jenny217]

My husband and son are very sensitive to anything scented; laundry detergent, softener, perfume, shampoo, soap, candles, etc. My husband responds with a skin reaction or negative respiratory response and they trigger severe spikes in my son’s migraines. It is real and observable. Workplace accommodation has not been necessary as the folks they both deal with are more than willing to adjust their ‘scent’ without a problem, but they’re not government workers either and they have not been asked to stop wearing deodorant.

[Tramonto]

Sorry but they have not been able to conclude that scents really do what people say they do in reasearch and have pretty much come to the conclusion that those who complain really do not have any problem other than they like to complain.....

Im sensitive to certain scents while others don't bother me much. Cheap perfumes, and especially car air fresheners make me feel nauseous and sometimes dizzy. I'd rather inhale Clorox fumes all day than walk into a bed bath and beyond.

[chris_bdba]

A skin reaction would be an allergy and not what this is.There has been a lot of research done because of this and people wanting this to come under the ADA but so far like I said it is a thing they do to themselves by getting worked up and believing something will happen to them....Everythign so far comes back to them doing it to themselves by getting upset and the bodies reaction to that.

[chris_bdba]

I used to work in a clothing/embroidery factory that did wrk for LOngaberger baskets.We made the potpourri bags and basket liners for them.100# of fresh potpouri opened from a plastic bag was very strong and probably 1000X stronger than any Bed Bath and Beyond.I never wore perfume when I worked there I did not have to I always smelled like roses even after bathing.It took weeks for that smell to wash away after quitting working there.

[JenB]

Those of us with fragrance allergies don’t object to scents because they smell bad. We object because our throats close up or we get migraines from artificial chemical fragrances. I have gotten doses of perfume that make me feel drunk and dizzy. It’s not a joke.

That said moat of us don’t need to sue to get things done. This guy wants people to accommodate him without him having to accommodate them.

[JenB]

Yeah that’s a load of crap. The first time it happened to me, I was 21 and sitting in a car when my grandmother got in. She was wearing too much perfume and my throat closed up. It freaked me out. Since then I’ve removed scented products from my life and home and I can tell you it’s very real.

The issue that allergists have is that there’s no allergen and they can’t think outside their box. If a reaction looks like an allergy but there’s no allergen then it must be imaginary. Frankly I think they don’t like having something they can’t “cure”.

[chris_bdba]

Have you been checked for bi polar disorder? I ask because I’ve read extensively on this subject and there is a large connection between migranes,this subject, and BPD.You may think it is a load of crap but it is not.It is your immune system they think that gives the reaction not the scent and all 3 play in together.You may find that if you do hav a problem with BPD and are treated for it that you no longer will have the psychosomatic to scent.One of my family member had the problem you describe now hat she is being treated for BPD she does not react to scent.