Pregnancy Risk Assessment - Know Your Rights (Leaflet 342)

Employers have a legal duty to protect pregnant women and their children from any work-related risks. The checklist in this leaflet gives advice on some of the more common factors that may cause a risk to pregnant women.

Download: Pregnancy Risk Assessment - Know Your Rights (Leaflet 342)

Date Posted: 26 July 2011

 

 

 

Your employer should have done a general risk assessment to identify any risks that might affect women who become pregnant. When a woman tells her employer 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 woman's pregnancy develops.

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

The checklist below gives advice on some of the more common factors that may cause a risk to pregnant women. The list is based on guidance produced by the Health and Safety Executive. It is not a detailed or exhaustive list. There may be other risks where you work. It is your employer’s responsibility to make sure that they have access to competent advice on any risk in their workplace.

Finally risk assessments should be done with the pregnant woman not to the pregnant woman. The employer should talk to the woman concerned to find out what she is finding difficult.

For further advice or assistance, Reps should contact the Health and Safety section in the Legal Department at Central Office. Telephone 0161 224 2804 or e-mail: healthandsafety@usdaw.org.uk

For more information about Usdaw and our campaigns, please contact your Union Rep or your nearest Usdaw office. Telephone: 0845 6060640 (calls charged at local rate) or e-mail: womenandequalities@usdaw.org.uk

Pregnancy Risk Assessment - Know Your Rights (Leaflet 342) was correct at date of publication July 2011.