The Impact Of Allergies In The Workplace

In the spring allergy sufferers try hard to make it through their work day as they deal with a variety of symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, and sniffles.
Their heads may feel clogged up and their symptoms may make it hard to think, not to mention the drowsiness they may be combating if they are taking sedating medication to deal with their allergies. An American study found that employees with allergies potentially cost companies more than $250 million annually in missed workdays and lost productivity.
Allergies can affect how a person works. However, many employees work in areas that aggravate their symptoms, an employer can do much to improve conditions. Some changes might include enclosing sources of dust and fume exposure, offering a cool room where employees can go for a break, rotating jobs for employees who are having trouble coping with their allergies or using appropriate protective equipment.
Allergies should not be taken lightly, as they can lead to more serious health concerns. Allergies can be life-threatening and lead to severe symptoms.
To complicate matters for employees and employers, some workers may even be debilitated by their medication, or may not take anything for fear of becoming drowsy. This fear may not be warranted, as there are now non-sedating allergy medications available that relieve symptoms and enable employees to perform to their maximum abilities.
Occupational health specialists say that the real problem with allergies and the workplace is that patients may not recognize the symptoms which can affect on the job performance. As well, employees with very severe symptoms may not even go to work leading to absenteeism or negative job performance. Effective non-drowsy allergy medications are available to treat employees' allergy symptoms and not affect their job performance.
It's crucial that the allergy sufferer examine the packaging carefully when choosing a form of treatment. Make sure they see the words "non-drowsy" on the box. Any other expression or word combination may be misleading. This label will ensure they are taking a non-sedating medication. For more information on how to control allergies this season call 1-800-665-1507 or visit www.claritin.ca or catch the Claritin pollen forecast on the Weather Network at 28 minutes after the hour.