No Scents is Good Sense
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is committed to minimizing potential health risks associated with exposure to Scented Products. To support the health and well-being of persons in the workplace, all Staff and visitors are encouraged to refrain from the use of Scented Products, and to choose Fragrance-Free or Unscented Products.
Scented products are products which have smells or odours. They include personal products such as perfume, after-shave, deodorant, potpourri as well as non-personal products such as cleaning products, air fresheners, and some types of flowers. They can also include products which are and lighted, heated, or vapourized (e.g. candles).
Scented products may adversely affect a person’s health, by causing symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, numbness, upper respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath and difficulty with concentration. Scented products can exacerbate serious health problems for some people, especially for those with lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In very sensitive individuals these products can produce life threatening symptoms requiring immediate medical attention.
For more information, check out VCH’s Scented Products Policy. The purpose of this Policy is to ensure:
- The health and well-being of staff by preventing unnecessary exposure to scented products or their particulates that can cause environmental chemical Sensitivities.
- Support is provided for those departments that need to develop procedures and/or more specific policy statements limiting or prohibiting the use of scented products.
Nikki Z
Thanks for reminding everyone about this policy. I also have asthma so fragrances and certain chemicals can really exacerbate things for me. Raising awareness around this policy helps to take the onus off of staff with respiratory health issues to respond to the issue themselves. If it is a VCH Policy, then folks should be adhering to it without having to be reminded repeatedly by colleagues. Having more signage up and getting the word out in a more formalized way to patients and clients would also help a lot too.
Nancy Kwast
I too suffer from allergies to scented products and am very grateful that VCH is making their policy more publically apparent. I came to become allergic to fragrances only a couple of years ago, but it has played a significant role in my ability to do my job and even to remain in certain workplaces and to the use of sick-time.
Previous to experiencing this sensitivity, I really did not understand people’s discomfort to fragrances and did not consider the serious consequence to scented products. I am sorry for my ignorance to the needs of others .. and perhaps this is karma!
We need more articles like this to remind people that we are a scent-free workplace for good reason.
monica jackman
A big thank you. As a person whose asthma is aggrevated by perfumes, scented fabric softeners (a real problem), etc I really appreciate this article.
I have often been shocked by the heavy perfumes that staff wear while on the job, and am always astounded that when I have mentioned it (quietly and politely) I was instantly treated as if I was being rude and unreasonable.
This article and perhaps other future articles may well help with the problem
Thank you again.
Monica J
.
Linda
Re scents in the workplace. I too have allergies. Is the nonscent policy mentioned at the VCH new staf orientation?