Employee sues over co-worker's perfume
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"An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working." I can sympathize with her because I am also severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. I once had to endure a lady in the office who used a very strong perfume. Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze. :sigh: I didn't go as far as litigation but I did discuss it with my manager. :^) She didn't come near me any more but I could tell from the glaring looks she gave me from a distance she had taken my comments the wrong way. :~ That was unfortunate because I really thought that she was a good person but the overwhelming fumes were too much for me. X|
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I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesToo much emphasis as if they are coming down to a fancy-dress competition instead of focussing on the assigned work. That's what I would like to say.
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Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect an employer to remove noxious chemicals from a workplace, even if certain co-workers *stares at adjacent cubicle* insist on bathing in the stuff. X|
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Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
Good! It's about time someone put the skids under idiots who bathe in perfume and expect the rest of us to breathe the fumes. A little scent goes a long way, and an excess is fully as nauseating as having a cigar smoker in the next cube. On a related note, there are health conditions that can exacerbate the problem. One that's common in men is known as a "cluster headache" which is often triggered by perfumes and room fresheners. The cause is unknown, there is no cure or treatment, and it is immeasureably more debilitating than a migraine. A large percentage of victims commit suicide within a couple of years. My own father developed this condition in his 60s, and eventually had to stop venturing out in public because the prevalence of triggering scents made it impossible to function at all.
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"An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working." I can sympathize with her because I am also severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. I once had to endure a lady in the office who used a very strong perfume. Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze. :sigh: I didn't go as far as litigation but I did discuss it with my manager. :^) She didn't come near me any more but I could tell from the glaring looks she gave me from a distance she had taken my comments the wrong way. :~ That was unfortunate because I really thought that she was a good person but the overwhelming fumes were too much for me. X|
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I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesI agree here. Unless you are sensitive to it people really don't seem to get what effect it can have on you. Your eyes start to water, your nose closes up. I stopped visiting several large department stores because of the same problem and the stores managers seemed to not care about the complaints. I would be willing to bet that there are OSHA regulations dictating the ppm of that stuff allowed in the air system of the factories, why do we need to suffer outside that environment. By the way, it's not just women that can flood on the smelly stuff. Some men WAY overdo the aftershave as well.
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"An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working." I can sympathize with her because I am also severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. I once had to endure a lady in the office who used a very strong perfume. Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze. :sigh: I didn't go as far as litigation but I did discuss it with my manager. :^) She didn't come near me any more but I could tell from the glaring looks she gave me from a distance she had taken my comments the wrong way. :~ That was unfortunate because I really thought that she was a good person but the overwhelming fumes were too much for me. X|
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I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesLikewise. Even relatively mild perfumes and scented deodorants make my eyes water and itch. It's a real pain in the ass sometimes.
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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Likewise. Even relatively mild perfumes and scented deodorants make my eyes water and itch. It's a real pain in the ass sometimes.
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
Steve McLenithan wrote:
Even relatively mild perfumes and scented deodorants make my eyes water and itch. It's a real pain in the ass sometimes.
You have eyes in your ass? :omg:
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"An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working." I can sympathize with her because I am also severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. I once had to endure a lady in the office who used a very strong perfume. Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze. :sigh: I didn't go as far as litigation but I did discuss it with my manager. :^) She didn't come near me any more but I could tell from the glaring looks she gave me from a distance she had taken my comments the wrong way. :~ That was unfortunate because I really thought that she was a good person but the overwhelming fumes were too much for me. X|
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I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesI'm not very sensitive to perfumes, but I once tried a new antiperspirant/deodorant that was so strong I had to take a shower to get the smell off. My son sometimes gets so carried away with his Axe spray it leaves my eyes watering. On the flip side, I've been around people whose body odor is so strong and rancid, I almost wretch. (I'm lucky, even if I don't use antiperspirant, I have very low body odor.) Then there was the guy with the stinky cigar....
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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I agree here. Unless you are sensitive to it people really don't seem to get what effect it can have on you. Your eyes start to water, your nose closes up. I stopped visiting several large department stores because of the same problem and the stores managers seemed to not care about the complaints. I would be willing to bet that there are OSHA regulations dictating the ppm of that stuff allowed in the air system of the factories, why do we need to suffer outside that environment. By the way, it's not just women that can flood on the smelly stuff. Some men WAY overdo the aftershave as well.
Ray Cassick wrote:
I agree here. Unless you are sensitive to it people really don't seem to get what effect it can have on you. Your eyes start to water, your nose closes up.
I remember in one of my 6th grade classes I was sitting in my chair when my teacher walked up next to me and began talking to another student. The smell of her perfume was... I don't know how to describe it. I've never smelled anything like it since. Suddenly, my throat closed off; I could not swallow for the life of me. It felt as though I were being choked. I was sitting there kinda feaking out not knowing what was going on. A moment or two later, the teacher walked away, and I could breath again. I knew after that never to stand very close to her unless I wanted to pass out. X| Funny how after all of these years (decades) I've never fogotten that.
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Steve McLenithan wrote:
Even relatively mild perfumes and scented deodorants make my eyes water and itch. It's a real pain in the ass sometimes.
You have eyes in your ass? :omg:
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Hmm not sure where that came from. I guess not everyone has heard that expression.
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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"An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working." I can sympathize with her because I am also severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. I once had to endure a lady in the office who used a very strong perfume. Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze. :sigh: I didn't go as far as litigation but I did discuss it with my manager. :^) She didn't come near me any more but I could tell from the glaring looks she gave me from a distance she had taken my comments the wrong way. :~ That was unfortunate because I really thought that she was a good person but the overwhelming fumes were too much for me. X|
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I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesWhy on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it. Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way. I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly. Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation. No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
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Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it. Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way. I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly. Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation. No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
John Cardinal wrote:
Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it.
Perhapses I should have but I didn't possess the diplomatic skills at the time.
John Cardinal wrote:
Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way.
I didn't need to spread it around, people were already talking about it.
John Cardinal wrote:
I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly.
It was a long time ago but if I remember correctly people had mentioned it to her and she took offense.
John Cardinal wrote:
Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation.
It was either that or quit my job.
John Cardinal wrote:
No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
Gave me dirty looks. This is in the distant past. I think the issue was brought to her attention by others and she didn't respond favorably. I don't remember all the details because it was so long ago but I can still picture her coming into my office and my eyes watering. It was an intolerable situation which I had to address.
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I'm not very sensitive to perfumes, but I once tried a new antiperspirant/deodorant that was so strong I had to take a shower to get the smell off. My son sometimes gets so carried away with his Axe spray it leaves my eyes watering. On the flip side, I've been around people whose body odor is so strong and rancid, I almost wretch. (I'm lucky, even if I don't use antiperspirant, I have very low body odor.) Then there was the guy with the stinky cigar....
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
Joe Woodbury wrote:
I'm not very sensitive to perfumes, but I once tried a new antiperspirant/deodorant that was so strong I had to take a shower to get the smell off. My son sometimes gets so carried away with his Axe spray it leaves my eyes watering.
I haven't used deodorant in at least 30 years. I used to get terrible rashes from antiperspirants and once I gave them up the rashes went away. I have a hard time with laundry detergents also. I use soap sparingly instead of detergent. When I tell people I don't use deodorant, usually when they are complaining that their arm pits are sore from using antiperspirants they are always surprised and say things like I never knew because you don't smell bad. To block sweat -- a natural body function -- can't be healthy. I put powder on my armpits and that seems to be all that is needed.
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Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
"This employee not only wore a strong scent, but also plugged in a scented room deodorizer," the lawsuit states. We visited friends who had SEVEN of these devices in their house. At the time, my wife was suffering from asthma (she no longer does, but that's another story...). She had an immediate attack, the effects of which lasted long after we unplugged them all. It was so bad that it even made me queasy. The lady of the house was a music instructor, who then made a connection between the air "freshener" and an asthmatic student who nearly always suffered an attack when she visited. Coincidence?:confused: Yes, I know it's only anecdotal evidence, but... I grew up on a dairy farm: its smell was much preferable to this stench.
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"An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working." I can sympathize with her because I am also severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. I once had to endure a lady in the office who used a very strong perfume. Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze. :sigh: I didn't go as far as litigation but I did discuss it with my manager. :^) She didn't come near me any more but I could tell from the glaring looks she gave me from a distance she had taken my comments the wrong way. :~ That was unfortunate because I really thought that she was a good person but the overwhelming fumes were too much for me. X|
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I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesJimmyRopes wrote:
Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze.
Why did you go *that* close to her?
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero
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Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
They are called VOC's - volatile Organic Compounds. The reaction can be anything from sneezing to ashmatic reaction to neurotoxicic to death. In Nova Scotia you will find the sign "No Scents makes Good sense" everywhere. The reason? they had a major sick building incedent in a big hospital and when your medical chiefs all come down with environmental illness it is amazing how fast it gets acknowledged as a problem. The worst happening for me was when the "the Body shop" decided to do some pre-christmas packaging a few doors down from the company I worked for. The scents, spread through the air conditioning system, knocked out my boss, and 3 of us programmers. X| Besides sneezing and wheezing it seemed to act like some kind of drug with us totally confused and my boss freaking out. The owner came down like a ton of bricks on the building management, meanwhile untill they moved them, we telecommuted with the one modem shared between the four of us. It really made a mess of the deadlines. Lena
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Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it. Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way. I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly. Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation. No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
Sorry to disagree but going to the manager was the right move,at least in the US where the person you confront for their maleficence could sue you for harassment. Work is not a social event, leave the smelly stuff at home along with the fancy dress, and the social climbing games.
David Lane One World One People.
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Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it. Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way. I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly. Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation. No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
mmmm.... Choices Should she put up with a smell that was causing trouble to her work performance and to her health? (not permanent damage, but annoying at least) Or she should talk to her... after other people has already talked to her and she reacted feeling offended? (obviously she felt that her perfume was good for her, thus it must be good for everybody else... how dare they to question it) Or she should think that is her job, (the one that pays the bills) and if it is making her under perform then let her boss know? (consider also that she already reached the point of rather quit than stay around and smell that perfume)... at the high cost of receiving "dirty looks". C'mon, it is a work place not high school . If the perfume lady were mature enough to understand that the rest of the world does not have to put up with her tastes in perfume, then she should apologize for making other people uncomfortable. But reacting with a "you are a mean to me, I have to tone down my perfume because of you, I don't like you anymore" it is just flat out childish
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JimmyRopes wrote:
Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze.
Why did you go *that* close to her?
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero
brahmma wrote:
Why did you go *that* close to her?
Not by choice. :-D
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Steve McLenithan wrote:
Even relatively mild perfumes and scented deodorants make my eyes water and itch. It's a real pain in the ass sometimes.
You have eyes in your ass? :omg:
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Joe Woodbury wrote:
I'm not very sensitive to perfumes, but I once tried a new antiperspirant/deodorant that was so strong I had to take a shower to get the smell off. My son sometimes gets so carried away with his Axe spray it leaves my eyes watering.
I haven't used deodorant in at least 30 years. I used to get terrible rashes from antiperspirants and once I gave them up the rashes went away. I have a hard time with laundry detergents also. I use soap sparingly instead of detergent. When I tell people I don't use deodorant, usually when they are complaining that their arm pits are sore from using antiperspirants they are always surprised and say things like I never knew because you don't smell bad. To block sweat -- a natural body function -- can't be healthy. I put powder on my armpits and that seems to be all that is needed.
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes