diff --git a/arch/s390/include/asm/lowcore.h b/arch/s390/include/asm/lowcore.h
index 28a2c6ba795e7a51433276f4051fc796a66a3b2c..9829d6b44a20d0f99c81f527796b66254970da8c 100644
--- a/arch/s390/include/asm/lowcore.h
+++ b/arch/s390/include/asm/lowcore.h
@@ -43,8 +43,13 @@ struct lowcore {
 	};
 	__u32	data_exc_code;			/* 0x0090 */
 	__u16	mon_class_num;			/* 0x0094 */
-	__u8	per_code;			/* 0x0096 */
-	__u8	per_atmid;			/* 0x0097 */
+	union {
+		struct {
+			__u8	per_code;	/* 0x0096 */
+			__u8	per_atmid;	/* 0x0097 */
+		};
+		__u16 per_code_combined;
+	};
 	__u64	per_address;			/* 0x0098 */
 	__u8	exc_access_id;			/* 0x00a0 */
 	__u8	per_access_id;			/* 0x00a1 */
diff --git a/arch/s390/kernel/traps.c b/arch/s390/kernel/traps.c
index a3c94dfcbe16cfffbc9843ac41d384c1dbc6b597..674c65019434e1b8fee354031943a0ba4ffbb794 100644
--- a/arch/s390/kernel/traps.c
+++ b/arch/s390/kernel/traps.c
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ void noinstr __do_pgm_check(struct pt_regs *regs)
 
 			set_thread_flag(TIF_PER_TRAP);
 			ev->address = S390_lowcore.per_address;
-			ev->cause = *(u16 *)&S390_lowcore.per_code;
+			ev->cause = S390_lowcore.per_code_combined;
 			ev->paid = S390_lowcore.per_access_id;
 		} else {
 			/* PER event in kernel is kprobes */