Scent Awareness in the VCC Library and Learning Centre

Purpose

To provide a safe and healthy environment for employees and users of the VCC Library and Learning Centre by limiting exposure to scented products through increased awareness and voluntary cooperation of individuals.

Guidelines

The Library and Learning encourage employees and users of our physical locations to voluntarily reduce or eliminate the use of scented products.

Exposure to scented products can affect a person’s comfort and health. Individuals living with chemical sensitivities, migraines, asthma, or allergies, among other conditions, can experience a range of ill health effects when exposed to scented products. The effects include but are not limited to:

  • Headaches, including migraines
  • Feeling faint, dizzy, or lightheaded
  • Nausea and loss of appetite
  • Feeling fatigued, weak, or generally unwell
  • Depression, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, or difficulty concentrating
  • Upper respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, sinus congestion, coughing, sneezing, or throat irritation

The Library and Learning Centre’s administrative heads have the following responsibilities:

  • Supporting supervisors and employees as they encourage a scent-free work environment; and
  • Encouraging voluntary compliance with maintaining a scent-free environment.

Supervisory staff have the following responsibilities:

  • Ensuring that employees receive awareness training on fragrance and scent-free environments;
  • Developing proper information and procedures;
  • Ordering unscented or low scent non-hygiene products for the Library and Learning Centre (e.g., cleaning spray, hand sanitizer, dry-erase markers);
  • Encouraging employees to use scent-free products; and
  • Making available any appropriate signage and educational materials, when needed.

Students, staff, faculty and visitors have the following responsibilities:

  • Trying to avoid bringing scented products to the Library and Learning Centre;
  • Becoming scent-aware through reading educational materials; and
  • Reporting to Library or Learning Centre staff (students and visitors) or supervisor (staff and faculty) when fragrances in the environment are affecting their health or well-being.

Scented Product Categories

Personal Hygiene Products: These include, but are not limited to cosmetics, perfumes, colognes, after-shave, deodorant, shampoo/conditioners, hair spray, lotions, and creams.

Personal Non-Hygiene Products: These include, but are not limited to some types of food, flowers, air fresheners, cleaners, potpourri, marker pens or other products with a distinct and strong scent or odour.

Applies to

All employees and users of the VCC Library and Learning Centre.

* Approved by LLRMG, September 2020