Safetydude's Safety Tip of the Week
Fragrances, Scents and Sensitivities in the Workplace
Have you ever been near someone and became "overwhelmed" by the amount or type of perfume the person was wearing?
In the early 80's, I had a co-worker that after several months of becoming ill when I was in the office politely asked me to stop wearing the Polo cologne that I wore. I was horrified to learn that I had been causing her discomfort.
I investigated scents in the workplace further and learned that:
- For people with fragrance sensitivities, the chemicals in fragrances can cause irritation or trigger allergic reactions.
- Depending on how sensitive they are, they may experience symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, headache, itchy skin, hives, itchy eyes and nose, runny nose, wheezing, coughing, sore throat, breathing difficulties, and/or asthma.
- Reactions to fragrances can vary from one person to the next, however once a person has developed fragrance sensitivity, it may continue to get worse over time and with repeated exposure.
- Food allergies ( such as to Peanuts, or shell fish) are a common comparison and should be treated equally
I now consider any fragrance brought into the workplace as a hazard. During my tenure as a Corporate Safety Professional I know of cases where the following simple items caused serious (even life threatening) situations:
- Coconut scent hand crème
- Orange scented Goo Gone
- The smell of shell fish in a microwave that was more than 500 feet away
- Customers that reacted to latex balloons used in a stores anniversary display
As an Employer, the general duty clause of the Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act which requires that you "do everything reasonable for the protection of a worker" falls into play in these circumstances. Particularly, if you know that an Employee has a chemical sensitivity or serious Food Allergy. To learn more what you can do, please click here.
As an Employee, you should be comfortable in advising your Employer ( co-workers, family and friends) of your sensitivity or allergy. Particularly, if it could result in a serious reaction. If you carry an Epi-pen, I strongly urge you to let your co-workers, family, and friends know where you keep the pen, and how to help you administer it if necessary.
From the Courts
(extracted from the Ontario Ministry of Labour Newsroom)
A construction company, was fined $110,000 yesterday for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.
On July 23, 2008, workers were at a tower construction project, where they were preparing to hoist two structures made of reinforcing bar, or rebar, with a crane. The rebar structures were sitting one on top of the other. The workers attached the bottom rebar structure to the crane but did not secure the top structure.
As the crane lifted both structures, the load shifted and the unsecured structure fell on a worker. The worker suffered multiple fractures and damage to internal organs.
The Employer was found guilty of failing to ensure that the crane's rigging was arranged to prevent the top rebar structure from slipping or falling. The company was fined $80,000 for this offense.
Additionally, the Employer was also found guilty of failing to provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker on preventing a hoisted object from slipping or falling. The company was fined $30,000 for this offense.
Picture of the Week
In lieu of a Picture of the Week, I wanted to send you a video link. So let's call it the Link of the week.
I am not afraid of heights, but this video and what these employees do is "absurd".
Several times in the video the commentator mentions that using Fall Arrest is either "not required" or not used because "it slows them down"
http://gqballer.com/random/stairway-heaven-tower-climb-video-how-much-do-tower-climbers/
