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.