One of the more common queries on the Peninsula Business Services (Ireland) 24hour advice line is that of how to manage pregnant employees in the workplace. Some pregnancies present very few issues and the mother can work through with very little impact on their work life, others present numerous problems throughout and challenge both the mother and their employer in many ways. This is a factor that must be considered when dealing with this situation. You must also remember that pregnancy should not be considered as an illness.
From a health & safety perspective the issues surrounding pregnant employees concern matters which may present a hazard to either the mother or the unborn child. Our recommendation is that once you as an employer are informed that a staff member is pregnant, you conduct a
New & Expectant Mothers Risk Assessment. The employee should inform the employer as soon as possible, so that measures can be put in place to reduce the levels of risk. It is the duty and responsibility of the employee to notify the organisation in writing that she is pregnant. Employers can also request written medical proof of the pregnancy from the employee’s GP or midwife
Hazards which can affect mother and baby can be divided into
Physical, Chemical, Biological hazards and
Radiation. In simple terms, for most workplaces, matters to look out for are:
- Prolonged standing
- Heavy lifting / moving / strenuous work
- Long working hours
- Shocks/ noise/ low frequency vibration
- Biological agents such as Hepatitis, HIV, Herpes, TB, Chickenpox
- Toxoplasma or other viruses – from meat, soil or contact with animals
- Many chemicals which can cause serious effects.
- Devices emitting radiation – e.g. X-Ray machines / Scanners
As you will see form the list above – which is not exhaustive, but merely for example – many of the hazards would not apply to a large number of businesses. If your business deals with chemicals you should already have risk assessed the product and its effects and highlighted any negative effects to persons who potentially could become pregnant. Remember that many people are not aware of their pregnancy for some time and may be placing themselves in a position of high risk without knowing. It is the duty of the employer to ensure they are aware of the potential negative effects of substances they come into contact through their work.
Activities to me especially mindful of when completing the New & Expectant Mothers Risk Assessment would be:
- Working at Heights
- Slippery surfaces
- Physical Limitations as the pregnant workers progress through the pregnancy, workspaces, seating, Personal Protective Clothing still fitting.
- Tiredness / exhaustion / stress
- Noise / heat / humidity in the workplace
- Stress
- Violence / Aggression / Theft
- Passive smoking or fumes
When determining the work activities in which a new or expectant mother will be engaged, conditions involving long periods of standing or sitting, or work within confined areas should be carefully considered. Work involving exposure to manual handling, passive smoking and occupational stress, extremes of temperature, shocks, vibration, electrical and magnetic fields, noise, radiation, biological agents, chemicals and gas can lead to complications, particularly for expectant mothers.
So what to do? Well if you’re a Peninsula Business Services (Ireland) client you can call our 24hour advice service on 01 855 5050 and we will guide you through the process, if you’re not then you would need to carry out a New & Expectant Mothers Risk Assessment as soon as possible when you are informed and thereafter at least every trimester or more frequently if the pregnancy dictates it.
Simply put - as an employer you need to sit down with your employee as soon as she informs you she is pregnant, you need to have a discussion regarding her work duties and identify any issues which could affect her or the child and ensure that you have effective controls in place to eliminate or reduce the risk as low as is reasonably practicable. This discussion should take on board any concerns of the employee and may need some discussion or interaction with an occupational health practitioner or doctor. As with all formal discussions with employees you should record the findings and get the employee to sign as to their accuracy. The working conditions and welfare arrangements should be agreed with the individual employee and records maintained to show that these have been communicated to the Line Managers to whom the employee reports on a day-to-day basis. Evidence that the risk assessment has been reviewed on a regular basis should also be maintained.
In rare cases it may be that the hazards in the workplace cannot be reduced or controlled sufficiently, at this point it may be that the employers has to place the employee on what is known as ‘ health & safety leave’ – meaning it is not safe for them to be in the workplace and they have to remain at home. Naturally there are terms and conditions associated with this and it must follow a detailed risk assessment. The employee is entitled to full pay from their employer for the first 21 days of their suspension after which they are entitled to claim Health and Safety Benefit.
At Peninsula Business Services (Ireland) Ltd we advocate a
Health and Safety Made Simple philosophy and believe in a practical
and common sense approach to health and safety – contact us on
01 855 4861 for more information.
Brendan Hanratty is a Chartered Health & Safety Practitioner working with
Peninsula Business Services (Ireland) Ltd; who are Ireland’s leading provider of employment law and health & safety services. Established in Ireland since 1997, we have thousands of businesses who have already integrated Peninsula to work as part of their HR and Health & Safety departments. With offices in Dublin, Belfast, Sydney and Manchester, Peninsula employs over 1000 people across Ireland, Australia and the UK. - See more at:
https://www.peninsulagrouplimited.com/ie/
