PregnancyRisk Assessment

Knowyour rights

An Usdaw guide to your rights for a risk assessment

Employers have a legal duty to protectpregnant women and their children fromany work-related risks...Your employer should have done a general risk assessment to identify any risksthat might affect women who become pregnant. When a woman tells heremployer that she is pregnant they should do a specific risk assessment for her. It may be necessary to review the individual risk assessment as the womans pregnancy develops.

Problem/workingconditions

Movement andposture

Nature of the risk

A variety of factors linked topace of work, rest breaks,work equipment and the workarea can be involved.Hormonal changes during andshortly after pregnancy affectligaments and can increasechances of injury. Posturalproblems may get worse aspregnancy advances.Standing in one position forlong periods can causedizziness, faintness, fatigue. Itcan also increase chances ofpremature birth or miscarriage.Sitting for long periodsincreases risk of thrombosis.Backache is also associatedwith long periods of standingor sitting.Confined space may be aproblem particularly in thelatter stages of pregnancy.

What to look out for

Does the woman have to standfor periods of, for example,more than two-three hourswithout a break?Does she have to sit forperiods of more than two-three hours?Can the equipment andworkstation be adjustedto fit the worker?Does the job involve awkwardtwisting or stretching?Are there space restrictions (for example, working behind a checkout)? Will these causemore restricted movement asthe pregnancy develops?

Manual handling The hormonal changes inpregnancy increase risk ofmanual handling injuries.Postural problems can alsoincrease risks as pregnancyprogresses. There can be risksfor women who have recentlygiven birth. Breast-feedingmothers may have problemsbecause of increased breastsize and sensitivity.

Does the job involve twisting,stooping or stretching to liftobjects?Does the job involve rapidrepetitive lifting (even oflighter objects)?Does the job involve liftingobjects that are difficult tograsp or are awkward to hold?

Where possible, any risks should be removed or the womans work should be changed to protect her. If it is not possible to do this, then she must besuspended on full pay for as long as is necessary to protect her health and the childs health.

The checklist below gives advice on some of the more common factors that maycause a risk to pregnant women. The list is based on guidance produced by theHealth and Safety Executive. It is not a detailed or exhaustive list. There may beother risks where you work. It is your employers responsibility to make surethat they have access to competent advice on any risk in their workplace.

Protective equipmentand uniforms

Protective clothing or othertypes of Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPE) are notgenerally designed for use bypregnant women. Physicalchanges around pregnancymay make it toouncomfortable to wear, or may mean that it no longerprovides the intendedprotection. Uniforms may alsocause a problem, particularlyas the pregnancy progresses.

If the woman has to wearprotective aprons/overalls etc,are they provided in suitablesizes?If uniforms are obligatory arethey provided in maternitysizes?Are the materials usedcomfortable for all pregnantwomen to wear?

Hazardoussubstances infection risks and chemicals

Exposure to infectious agentssuch as hepatitis B from bodilyfluids could be a problem forfuneral undertakers or forcleaners. Women working withraw meat may be exposed totoxoplasma.There are over 200 industrialchemicals that can cause harmto the unborn child. MostUsdaw members are unlikely to come across them at work.Members who work withpharmaceutical products maybe at risk. Funeral workers andhairdressers could also beexposed. Some researchsuggests that the solvent used in dry-cleaning(perchloroethylene) mayincrease miscarriage risks.

Are there any infection risks inthe work? For example: Embalming/preparing bodies for funeral workers

Clearing up spilled bodyfluids/disposing of usedsyringes for cleaners

Work with raw meat such as raw lamb

If so are hygiene precautionsadequate?Are any chemicals at workknown to be a risk?Are pregnant women keptaway from jobs that couldincrease exposure, forexample, unloading dry-cleaning machines orclearing button traps?

Finally risk assessments should bedone with the pregnant womannot to the pregnant woman.

The employer should talk to thewoman concerned to find out what she is finding difficult.

Working time Long hours, and unsocial shiftwork can affect the health ofpregnant women and candisrupt breast-feeding. Recent research has shown alink between night work andmiscarriage.

Is the woman expected towork long hours/overtime?Does she have some flexibilityor choice over her workinghours?Does the work involve veryearly starts or late finishes?Does the job involve nightwork between the hours of, for example, 11pm to 7am?

Work at heights Because of the risk of faintingand high blood pressure, it ishazardous for pregnantwomen to work at heights.

Does the work involve a lot ofclimbing up and down steps or ladders?Does the work involve carryingitems or boxes up or downladders?If a mobile work platform isused to access higher levels, is there enough room for apregnant worker to use itsafely?

Work-related violence Violence and the fear ofviolence can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birthand problems with breast-feeding.

Is the job one which isperceived to have a high risk of violence (for example,security work, single staffing in a petrol filling station)?Is there always support athand to help staff who may be threatened or abused bycustomers?Are managers and supervisorsaware of the extra risk forpregnant women?

Work-related stress New and expectant motherscan be vulnerable to stressbecause of hormonal,psychological andphysiological changes aroundpregnancy. Additional stressmay occur if the woman hasreason to be anxious about her pregnancy.

Are there tasks which areknown to be particularlystressful, for example, dealingwith irate customers?Are colleagues and supervisorssupportive towards thepregnant worker?Is the member aware of whatto do if she feels she is beingbullied or victimised?Has the individual riskassessment taken account ofany concerns the woman hasabout her own pregnancy?

Extremes of cold or heat

Pregnant women are less ableto tolerate heat or extremecold.

Does the work involveexposure to temperatures thatare uncomfortably cold (below16C) or hot (above 27C)?If protective clothing isprovided against the cold, is itsuitable for the pregnantworker?Is the worker exposed to colddraughts even where theaverage temperature isacceptable?Are there arrangements forfrequent breaks and access tohot/cold drinks?

Welfare issues Rest facilities: Rest isparticularly important for new and expectant mothers.Hygiene: Easy access to toiletsis essential to protect againstrisks of infection and kidneydisease.Storage facilities: Appropriatearrangements for expressingand storing breast milk areneeded for breast-feedingmothers.

Is there somewhere quiet forpregnant workers to rest?Are they protected fromexposure to tobacco smoke inthe rest area?Are they given easy access totoilets and more frequentbreaks than other workers if needed?Is there a clean, private area for breast-feeding workers toexpress breast milk?Is there somewhere safe forthem to store expressed milk?

It is important to remember that this checklist isnot comprehensive. The fact that a point appears on the list does not mean that it is always aproblem. For example, issues around restricted space at checkouts or otherworkstations may or may not pose a risk, depending on the design of theworkstation and the progress of the individual pregnancy.

Three important things to remember1. You are entitled to a pregnancy risk assessment once you have informed

your employer in writing of your pregnancy.

2. Risks may change as your pregnancy progresses. If you are concerned atany stage in your pregnancy about your own or your babys health orsafety speak to your manager and your Usdaw Health and Safety Rep.

3. You are entitled to paid time off for antenatal appointments, including thetime it takes you to travel to and from your appointment or class. Youcannot be required to take annual leave or work the time back.

Get adviceFor information about your rights to a pregnancy risk assessment contactyour local Usdaw Office by calling0845 60 60 640*

To find out more about the work of the Divisional Equalities Forums andUsdaws equality work, or about joining Usdaw contact:

Tel: 0161 224 2804email: womenandequalities@usdaw.org.ukwebsite: www.usdaw.org.uk

August 2013 Leaflet No. 342Published by Usdaw, 188 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 6LJ

*calls charged at local rate

For further advice or assistance, Usdawreps should contact the Health and Safety section in the LegalDepartment at Central Office.

Telephone: 0161 224 2804

email: healthandsafety@usdaw.org.uk

Reference: New and ExpectantMothers at work: A guide foremployers, HSG122, HSE Books, 2002.

The Equalities SectionUsdaw, 188 Wilmslow RoadManchester M14 6LJ

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