Allergies and Asthma

Employees who suffer from allergies and asthma are often disadvantaged because their ability to concentrate and work efficiently can be easily disrupted by allergy or asthma symptoms. Allergies can range anywhere from a sensitivity to scented products to a severe food allergy. When paired with asthma, allergies can set off a number of different symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, sneezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, to name a few.

One of the best ways to control asthma is to minimize exposure to allergens. It’s important that employers take this into consideration because if an employee’s allergy and asthma symptoms get out of hand they could end up hospitalized. When a company does not make an effort to accommodate employees with asthma and allergies, the employees often need to seek medication and treatment from medical facilities. In addition to higher health care costs, the company will also experience less productivity and efficiency because of constant discomfort created by their symptoms.

Here are some of the ways a company may go about accommodating employees with asthma and allergies:

• Learn what allergies employees have and which employees are asthmatic, then take the necessary steps to accommodate them.
• Send a reminder to other employees not to wear strong perfumes, for people may have allergies or sensitivities to scents.
• Make sure any food product that contains nuts be labeled, to ensure people with severe nut allergies don’t mistakenly eat it.
• Do not allow animals in the work area, for people may have pet allergies.
• Make sure work spaces are cleaned regularly; dust and mold are common allergens and can be detrimental to anybody’s health.