Scents in the workplace may affect employees' well-being. This is most common with the scents of shampoos and conditioners, lotions, perfumes, colognes, aftershaves, hairsprays, air fresheners, and cleaning agents. Where an employee has sensitivity to scents, exposure to them may result in a number of different symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, weakness, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, skin irritation, nausea, or fatigue. These environmental and multiple chemical sensitivities are considered to be disabilities and, as a result, employees may require workplace accommodation. Not surprisingly, human rights applications arising from scent sensitivity on the basis of disability have recently been advanced in Ontario and other jurisdictions.

In this article, Naomi Horrox offers employers a number of tips on how to best handle complaints relating to employees' environmental sensitivity.

This article is copyright CCH Canadian Limited and was first published in the monthly CCH newsletter Focus on Canadian Employment and Equality Rights, Volume 9, Number 18, June 2011. It is reproduced with permission of the publisher.

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