Help required

[Nic]

I'm just wondering my sister in law is early on in her pregnancy but having a difficult time she is currently contracted to 42 hours but does lots more than that can she request for her hours to be dropped to 40 per week doing 4 ten hour shifts at present she does 4 12 hour then I'm not sure what her other shifts are she does 5 days one week 6 the next her health is obv the priority here any advice welcomed

[miliitant]

Re: Help required

how far is she into her pregnancy

has her employer done any risk assessmants

what line or work is she in

being pregnant is classed as having protected characteristics and a whole new ball game on rules and regulations

things like morning sickness are now excluded from the attendance procedure for example

has she opted out of the working time directive and a 48 hour max working week

[Nic]

Re: Help required

She works in an elderly persons care home I don't know if she's opted out but sometimes he does 60 hrvweeks.
She's 9 weeks into pregnancy
No risk assessment yet that I know of however one if her collegues (may b avsuperior) won't let her do any of the lifting of residents

[miliitant]

Re: Help required

has she decided yet when she will be starting her maternity leave

she needs to sit down with her boss and work out adaquate work patterns to compensate for her pregnancy

it is normal for the employer to do weekly risk assessmants once they have been informed of her pregnancy

the regulations come under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Act 1999

once she starts to show signs of pregnancy , she will not be able to do normal care home duties, office work would be acceptable but not patient care

request a drop in hours to 40 and see what they say

you have to ask for the reasonable adjustments.

care home staff are hard to come by and are normally understaffed, but that is not an excuse to side line statutory obligation. 60 hour shifts will be a serious no,no in my opinion

like i said, ask for the adjusments, if they say no then come back to your thread and i will hit them with statutory legislation

[Nic]

Re: Help required

Fab thank you I will get her to do that

[Nic]

Re: Help required

Update they havevagreed to her doing 4 x 10 hour shifts per week when she goes bk on Monday they are going to do. Risk assessment however whet concerns me is that pretty much all of the residents are violent where she works I don't think she is with any kind of union should they take any specific precautions given her pregnancy?

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: Help required

she should not be placed in a position which endangers her or the baby.
Millitant can advise on the legislation, but she should not be made to do anything that can harm her or the baby, and as far as im aware she can refuse to do a duty due to her "condition".

Things like heavy lifting, moving people, standing on ladders etc, all no no's! she may have her chair adjusted (yes this is part of a maternity risk assesment) have things like different shoes, support stockings offered (shes on her feet a lot, and babies play havoc with your veins). She can as far as im aware say I will sit with Maisy and john, but Muriel and Lionel are violent so im not going near them.

Below are some of the aspects of our working life that need to be more carefully considered when you become pregnant. Because they form part of our normal routine, it might be easy to overlook their possible impact during pregnancy.
• Constant standing and sitting
• Incorrectly adjusted workstations
• Lifting or carrying heavy items
• Infections
• Stress
• Exposure to passive smoking
• Lone working
• Long working hours (including night shifts)
• The risk of assaults at work
• Working in confined spaces
• Travelling
Some women will also work in environments that have other, potentially more serious hazards, which need to be taken into account. These may include exposure to chemicals, or areas of radiation. Although these hazards may be perfectly well managed under normal conditions, some may become hazardous to the mother or baby and need to be removed.
A specific risk assessment will review every area of your working conditions and recommend the appropriate course of action to protect an expectant mother and the baby against illness or injury.
The Equal Opportunities Commission has conducted research, which suggests that only half of the approximate 440,000 women who continue to work during pregnancy each year have had a specific health and safety risk assessment. This figure is much higher in the retail sector.
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Generic Risk Assessments

Because they are not always notified until after the first 12 weeks, some employers have produced generic risk assessments, which aim to reduce the risk to all female employees of childbearing age. Whilst these will give some protection before you advise them that you are pregnant, specific risks to you cannot be evaluated until you confirm your condition to your employer in writing
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Conditions that can Affect an Expectant Mother

Some conditions that you might experience during pregnancy can be embarrassing but need to be dealt with sympathetically to reduce any stress which you may feel if or when they arise. Some aspects that are often overlooked, particularly in the later stages of the pregnancy, are the physical effects on you, the mother-to-be.
Tiredness - during the first trimester, it is normal to feel more tired than usual. It is important to take regular breaks and be able to rest when you need to. Many larger employers will provide an area for expectant mothers to use, but if this is not readily available, it may be advisable to let your employer know that you are pregnant so that he can carry out the risk assessment and make sure facilities are made available.
Tiredness can be a particular problem for women who work shift patterns or long hours as this may be compounded by irregular sleep patterns.
Morning sickness/ headaches - employers have a duty to provide suitable facilities where pregnant or breastfeeding workers can rest. If you are feeling faint or sick, you will not want to be in the toilet or coffee room but somewhere quiet and without being exposed to the smells of food or beverages.
Backache/varicose veins – many women will suffer with these conditions and these may be aggravated by standing or even sitting for prolonged periods. Good posture is important at this time and your workstation may need to be adjusted to take account of your changing physical condition.
Haemorrhoids – working in an overly hot environment can aggravate or heighten discomfort from this condition.
Pressure on the Bladder – many women suffer from the need to pay frequent visits to the toilet and this can become extremely stressful if you have difficulty leaving your area of work, or there is a lack of accessible rest facilities.
Balance – as the baby develops and your stomach expands, the change to your centre of gravity can cause your balance to be affected. This could be a particular hazard if you need to cross slippery, wet surfaces, or navigate staircases.
Uniforms – if your work involves wearing uniforms or protective clothing, your employer will need to provide suitable replacements, or change your activities to ones that do not require you to wear them.
General mobility – as your due date comes closer, dexterity, agility and co-ordination may be affected. This may make it more difficult to navigate some emergency exits, or in the event of a fire, the staircases. Your employer should ensure that in the event of emergencies, an appropriate escape route is available, or relocate your working area to a more accessible place.
Business Travel – many women need to travel either daily in the course of their work, or for specific events. This may call into question a number of possible hazards including lone working. At any given time, an employer may not be aware of the location of his employees, or even how they are travelling to their destinations.
Provision of bags on rollers or wheels will reduce manual handling issues but procedures to ensure the safety of the expectant woman should form part of the risk assessment.
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The Duty of Your Employer

Remember, only once your employer has been advised, do they have a duty of care to carry out the risk assessment and take steps to make your work environment safe. All aspects of your working environment and the possible effects of the pregnancy mentioned above need to be taken into account when carrying out the specific risk assessment. The 1999 amendments to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require employers to take steps to remove, reduce or control risks where individual risk assessments reveal them. If this is not possible, your employer should adjust your working conditions temporarily or provide you with suitable alternative work. If this also is not possible, they should suspend you on full pay.
Obviously, changes that an employer needs to implement will be dictated by the nature of the workplace, the tasks involved and the individual woman. However, some of the simple changes that an employer should consider might include:
• Rearranging working hours
• Providing greater flexibility for rest breaks
• Providing suitable rest facilities
• Re-allocating tasks which involve lifting or carrying to other employees
• Reviewing travel arrangements and requirements
Clearly, it is also important that the risk assessment be revisited at several stages during the pregnancy. Some organisations review again at the start of the second and third trimester, and again just before and after the return to work, to ensure the workplace continues to be a safe environment.
Finally, it is important to discuss your work environment with your doctor. Whilst the great majority of women will experience little or no difficulty working through their pregnancy, your doctor may feel that for particular reasons related to your health or pregnancy, some circumstances of your work need to be changed, or reduced. If this is the case, you should discuss these with your employer to see what other changes can be implemented.

[Nic]

Re: Help required

Thank you puffrose I shall make sure she sees this and await millitants input on legislation they don't seem to have specific break times which seems part of her job they just get a quick 10 mins to eat then it's bk on with it obv this will need to be looked at I have a feeling she is going to have a difficult pregnancy

[miliitant]

Re: Help required

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/100

[Nic]

Re: Help required

Thanks militant. I spoke to her earlier she said she thinks her boss will be good app she has been looking things up etc so fingers crossed but I've told her she needs to keep out of harms way why she is there and make sure she just sticks to her hours etc and make sure she gets it all reviewed every now and then see what other adjustments may need making

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: Help required

if this is her 1st baby and she needs a womans ear, ive had 3 of the little beggers
it just gets crazier, and the mayhem just gets worse.. but its bloody good fun being a mam

[Nic]

Re: Help required

Yeah this is her first I have 1 myself but when it comes to things like employment laws etc I don't have a clue and she is not good at standing up for herself and let's things get in top of her easily

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: Help required

tell her that shes to take time for her, she needs to get herself some chammomile tea and a hot water bottle for after a days work.. cos after that baby hits her spine shes going to need it.

With an understanding boss, theres no reason that she cant have an easy pregnancy and continue working, but she does need to decide that no one but her matters while she is carrying!

[Nic]

Re: Help required

Will do puff rose thanks for your help will keep updated with her progress with work etc

[Nic]

Re: Help required

Hi guys am looking for more advice what is the earliest period someone can take maternity leave from? And also is she entitled to put any remaining holiday onto the from of this period?

I think she is having a tough time with work boss being discussing her with other staff and basically saying she is not starting her mat leave when she has put the request in. I don't think they have still done a risk assessment (a client whacked her in the stomach with there simmer frame the other day)

Thanks in advance