In terms of company policy, HR or legal would be the best place to ask. In severe cases, the employer could be at fault. For example:

>Conflicts over work-related irritants and allergens can end up in court. Last July, Susan McBride, who works in the planning department of the City of Detroit, sued the city in United States District Court for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

>Ms. McBride, her lawsuit says, suffers from severe migraines, dizziness, nausea, earaches and sinus and breathing problems when exposed to strong scents, and she regularly became ill at work when a colleague arrived wearing perfume. The colleague refused to stop spritzing (though she did agree to unplug an air freshener) and the women's bosses refused to ban scents in the office.

The employee with allergies may be able to request accommodations based on the state or local law:

>The ADA helps people with asthma and allergies create safer, healthier environments where they work, shop and eat. It also helps people who attend public schools and non-religious private schools, even if those schools do not receive federal funding. For example, a private preschool may have to allow a child to use a quick-relief asthma inhaler during the day. Or, a company cannot refuse to hire a qualified person with food allergies because they may have to make the lunchroom allergy friendly.

**References**

* [Sickened by the Office (Really)](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/fashion/01WORK.html)

* [Are Asthma and Allergies Disabilities](http://www.aafa.org/page/asthma-allergies-and-the-american-with-disabilities-act.aspx)