AIBu to eat a peanut butter sandwich at work?

[TwistMyMelons]

Every time I take one I wonder if I’m being unreasonable to do this. I work in an open plan office. But I don’t have anyone sitting very close to me. It’s a quiet office and not one where I can reasonably ask people if they have allergies.
Is it ok for me to be eating a peanut butter sandwich in work or is it inconsiderate?? Please help 😂

There are people with anaphylactic allergies to milk - can you see them n
banning that in an office? We go through gallons of the stuff!

I’d eat peanuts at work unless I was explicitly asked not to. Why wouldn’t you?

Unless told not to then I’d bring nuts and peanuts in. People are adults, it’s up to them to tell colleagues and hr if they have a life threatening allergy.

Thank you everyone for the common sense! I am friends with an HR person so I will ask.

and @GoodChat I toast the bread at home, put about an inch of peanut butter in it then take it to work in a Tupperware box. Is that allowed? Or even worse?

@AlfietheSchnauzer , @JenniferBarkley isn't your child, you don't have to tell her to ask nicely; just assume she isn't an arse and knows how to communicate in a non confrontational way. In fact most people aren't arses, so really won't mind being asked to wash hands and clean surfaces after consuming peanuts. I eat a lot of peanuts as I'm vegetarian, but as with the majority of people, I know some allergies can be extreme and even fatal, so will always comply if people ask.

Cold toast?! Now that's your real crime.

Yeah cold toast is the reason people call for corporal punishment

I work in a school and it's supposed to be but free (aren't all schools?) but it plainly isn't - you simply can't police 1000 lunchboxes everyday yet so many snack bars have nuts in then.

I used to have a colleague whose asthma was triggered by sprays e.g. Air freshener, deodorant. It was drilled into all new starters on day 1 and everyone was reminded every few months. I'm sure if there was as severe allergy, you would know!

Schools are different because of the risk of kids not understanding and swapping food.

Incorrect. Milk is now the leading cause of anaphylaxis in the UK.

I would have thought most work places ban peanuts

I doubt it. Not even all schools ban them. In fact I've worked in quite a lot of schools and only two did, I think. My current one doesn't, even though it has at least one peanut allergic child.

Yes, we need people to understand this.

My son has anaphylaxis to milk (and egg, kiwi, lentils and tree nuts).

He's not allergic to peanuts.

Yet school ring me every time someone eats a peanut butter sandwich but "didn't think" to ring me when someone threw cheese at him

despite this story - www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7292231/amp/Heartbroken-mother-releases-image-13-year-old-dying-hospital-pupil-threw-cheese-him.html

Our office has a lot of hybrid workers and desk booking is random so we don’t often know the people around . I offered my team member a chocolate bar with nuts . The woman seated opposite me said she might die if we ate the chocolate as she had a severe peanut allergy. She never thought to tell HR as she previously worked in a small office where everyone knew! She was immediately sent home until they could make provision for her . Surely her responsibility to let management know ?

I work in a school and it's supposed to be nut free (aren't all schools?)

No. If you google it, you'll find that advice has moved on from banning to being 'allergy aware'. Apparently there is no evidence that banning actually has any effect on incidences of anaphylaxis.

I don't think peanuts should be banned from anywhere. If someone has a nut allergy that's different and of corse everyone would comply.

The reason they are banned in schools is because kids are messy and more likely to spread their food everywhere, particularly in primary school. My daughter has a severe dairy allergy and has to have 1-1 supervision at school at snack and mealtimes because of this.

This post is wierd.

the stress of having a child with a potential life threatening allergy is high! The poster was being incredibly polite. How did you surmise that she she ‘asked’ in an impolite way?!

passive aggressive, much!

Yes, because it created the false impression that nuts were somehow more dangerous than other allergens. But that's not the case.

If someone has an airborne peanut allergy you would know. They wouldn't risk not telling HR that it's an issue. I went to uni with a really serious peanut allergy and information about it went out the semester before he started so people in his dorm/classes were aware.

All these things have been automatically banned most places I have worked. ( mostly in schools)

Where I work there’s an employee with a nut allergy, and HR sent out a company wide communication declaring our office nut free. It’s also sign posted everywhere.

so in your case I’d carry on eating peanut butter sandwiches unless asked not to.

I don’t but that is because I am in a public facing role. I do have egg salad for lunch today which can be another serious allergen .
I do have to get very close to people’s faces in my role but sat at a desk with colleagues who haven’t said no I don’t worry

There are lots of allergens that some people are hypersensitive to such that they have a reaction if someone else nearby eats it. Its not reasonable or proportionate for allworkplaved and public places to be allergen free just in case one of them is there. As adults the onus is on them to manage their condition, choose where to go based on their specific risk assessment, and ask for adjustments if there's places they have to go to

It is totally fine to eat peanut butter, eggs, strawberries etc in public and in workplaces

In most places I have worked it has been entirely normal to have drinks accompanied by bowls of peanuts.

I absolutely agree with you about other allergens and the misapprehension that nut allergies are more serious.

But I think it's mostly about complacency - easy for a teacher to put Jane's allergy to the back of her mind or for Jane to start swapping food with her friends if they have the safety net of assuming no one has nuts.

it is not in any way a teacher's responsibility - I don't have anyone's allergies in my mind, front of back