Fragrance-Free Value Statement Goes Live
The PSU Safety Committee, through an ad-hoc group of employees
representing a cross-section of the university community, studied
the increasing trend of employee complaints around fragrances in
the workplace.
The
sub-committee found that research shows that more people than
ever before are reporting that they suffer from allergies. It’s
the 5th leading chronic condition in the U.S. among all ages and
the 3rd most common among children under 18 years of age. One in
four Americans suffer from all types of allergies. Clearly, the
concerns arising at PSU are not unique to our university.
Studies also found that the best way to prevent allergy symptoms
and minimize the need for medicine is to avoid allergens as much
as possible and to eliminate the source of allergens from home
and other environments.
As
a result, the Safety Committee approved the creation of a fragrance-free
value statement to guide employees in maintaining a fragrance-free
workplace by respecting the impact fragrances (such as cleaning
solutions, perfumes, colognes, hairspray, etc.) have on this large
percentage of our employee and student population. To see PSU’s
value statement go to the following link on the Human Resources
web page: http://www.hrc.pdx.edu/policies/Fragrance-FreeValueStatement.htm.
To
support departments in notifying staff and visitors of this value
statement, we have created table tent displays for our lobbies
or front counter areas. These will be mailed to departments simultaneous
to the distribution of this newsletter. Watch for yours. You may
display the table tent it in a high traffic area in your department
to assist in spreading the word on this new value statement. If
you haven’t received your table tent within a week and you
would like to, please call Human Resources at extension 4926 and
we’ll get one in the mail to you.
Thank you for assisting in reducing fragrance allergens in our
work environments and improving the comfort of employees, students,
and visitors.
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