New and expectant mothers: the risk assessment employers must do

In Great Britain, employers need to consider risks to new and expectant mothers as part of their general workplace risk assessment. Northern Ireland employers should check their own corresponding rules. Once a worker tells the employer in writing that they are pregnant, have given birth in the previous six months, or are breastfeeding, HSE says the employer must carry out a more specific individual risk assessment. HSE's employer guidance explains the process under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

This is an assessment of work and the person's circumstances, not an assumption that pregnancy makes someone unable to do a job. Discuss the work with the employee, take account of medical advice where supplied, and review as pregnancy progresses or duties change. The law and HSE guidance should be applied to the actual worker and hazards. A template can prompt questions; it cannot decide whether a particular control is adequate.

What should be considered?

Look at physical demands such as lifting, prolonged standing, awkward posture and fatigue; chemical and biological exposures; radiation or noise where relevant; working hours and night work; temperatures; work travel; and access to rest facilities. Risks can change through pregnancy and after birth. Consider how tasks are really performed on busy days, not only the written job description. Workers may have concerns that a manager did not anticipate. Record those concerns and how they were assessed.

The assessment should identify the specific risk, how exposure occurs, whether existing controls suffice, and what else is needed. Share the findings with the worker and their safety representative if there is one. Keep sensitive health information limited to people who need it. Review the plan when work or medical recommendations change, and before the person returns to work where relevant.

The order of action if a significant risk remains

HSE describes a sequence. First decide whether the risk can be controlled or removed. If it cannot, adjust working conditions or hours to avoid the risk. If that is not possible, offer suitable alternative work where available, on terms and conditions no less favorable, including pay. If that is not possible, suspend the worker on paid leave for as long as necessary to protect them and the child. This is not a discretionary menu in which the employer chooses the cheapest item. The particular steps depend on the risk and the applicable employment rights.

Explain the decision and keep it under review. An adjustment could involve removing an exposure or changing when a task is done. Alternative work should genuinely be suitable. A suspension is a protective measure where safer work cannot be arranged, not a disciplinary response. Consult HR and competent safety or occupational-health support where the situation is complex. Do not make an individual employment-law determination from a general article.

A usable record

Record the notification date, roles and tasks, exposure routes, evidence considered, worker discussion, controls, action owner and review trigger. Note what information must remain confidential. A record helps ensure that an adjustment agreed by one manager is communicated appropriately to another shift without disclosing more personal detail than necessary. Revisit it if new symptoms, different duties, changing work conditions or medical advice alter the risk.

This page does not assert that an announced future employment-rights change has commenced. Such changes are date-sensitive and should be rechecked against current legislation before adding them. The risk assessment software page is the commercial route for organizations evaluating document workflows. No claim is made that Complys decides suitable alternative work, determines pay entitlement, or approves a person's fitness to work.

General information, not legal advice. Verify current requirements against the primary sources linked above.