4th August 2017
Updated guidance on the steps to take when an employee tells you they’re pregnant…
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has reviewed and updated its guidance for employers on managing the risks faced by pregnant workers and new mothers recently.
Decision-Making Flowchart
The new guidance further emphasises the need for regular communication between employee and employer and promotes a decision-making flow chart devised for assistance.
The changes follow a survey undertaken by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the then Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. The results of the survey highlighted a number of concerns including:
- A number of expectant mothers having to leave their job roles due to risk factors at work not being addressed
- Employers not initiating communication about risks when informed of an employees’ pregnancy
- Employees identifying risk factors that their employer had not
‘Strengthened Guidance’
The ‘New and expectant mothers who work: A brief guide to your health and safety’ guidance note – INDG373, has therefore been updated with a HSE spokesperson stating ‘HSE has strengthened its guidance (…) by emphasising the importance of ongoing, open discussions.’
‘To make it more accessible for employers and employees, the risk assessment action flowchart now appears as a stand-alone document on the HSE New and Expectant Mothers homepage, and within the Frequently Asked Questions – How do I conduct a risk assessment for pregnant workers?’
