Staff Guidelines
Manager Guidelines
Staff Guidelines
Assessing the Risks and Protecting Your Health and the Health of Your Baby
Some hazards in the workplace may affect the health and safety of new and expectant mothers and of their children. The University is required by law to take particular account of any risks to new and expectant mothers in the work place.
Under the Management of Health and Safety At Work Regulations (Amended 1999), you have a duty to inform your employer in writing that you are pregnant.
When you tell Human Resources that you are pregnant, your manager will be asked to liaise with you to conduct a risk assessment, to ensure that any hazards are identified and remedial action can be taken.
Self Assessment
We recommend that you inform Human Resources that you are pregnant as soon as you are able to, so that we can arrange for you to have a risk assessment conducted at the earliest opportunity.
However, we fully understand that you may wish to wait for a while before you tell your manager or colleagues that you are pregnant.
The attached risk assessment form (MAT-RA) is designed to help you assess potential hazards for yourself in the meantime. We recommend you do this as soon as possible, since the foetus is particularly vulnerable in the early stages of pregnancy.
If you are happy to, please fill out the form and send it to Don Cross (Health and Safety Advisor) using health.safety@canterbury.ac.uk . Don is also happy to address any questions or concerns you may have and to provide further advice / guidance on 01227-782 447 (extension 2447) and health.safety@canterbury.ac.uk
If you wish to speak to someone in confidence about any concerns related to working whilst pregnant or as a new mother, please contact the Human Resources Department on 01227 782567 or 01227 782774.
Guidelines for Managers
The Legal Bit
Some hazards in the workplace may affect the health and safety of new and expectant mothers and of their children. The University is required by law (Management of Health and Safety at Work (Amendment) Regulations 1999) to take particular account of any risks to new and expectant mothers in the work place.
Assessing the Risks – Your Responsibility as a Manager
If a member of your staff tells Human Resources that they are pregnant, we will contact you to ask that you conduct a risk assessment for that employee, to ensure that any hazards are identified and remedial action can be taken.
Similarly, if a member of your staff tells you they are pregnant, please ask them to inform Human Resources, and refer them to the following documents on the University Human Resources Web Pages (under ‘Policies and Procedures); hard copies are available from Human Resources.
- Maternity Leave
- Expectant and New Mothers at Work
- Risk Assessment Form (New and Expectant Mothers) MAT-RA
Conducting the Assessment
Please ensure you (or your nominated Health and Safety Representative) complete risk assessment form MAT-RA with the member of staff. As the manager, you need to sign the form confirming the assessment has been carried out – even if no risks are identified.
The form MAT-RA has also been designed so that a pregnant employee can assess the risks for herself before she may wish to tell anyone about the pregnancy – the foetus is particularly vulnerable to certain risks in the early stages of pregnancy.
What do I do if a risk is identified?
If it is necessary to remove a new or expectant mother from a significant risk, the following steps explain levels of action that may be required, and the legislation that requires that action.
Removal from Risk:
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Getting Help
The Health and Safety Representative for your Department should be able to carry out a risk assessment. However, if you have any concerns about doing this, or about the particular risks for new and expectant mothers in your area, please contact the University’s Health and Safety Advisor (Don Cross in the University Solicitor's Office) on extension 2447 or on health.safety@canterbury.ac.uk or the Human Resources Department on 2567 or 2774 for help and guidance.
Source:
These guidelines have been compiled with reference to ‘New and Expectant Mothers at Work - A guide for Employers’, published by the Health and Safety Executive, For a copy of this guide and the full list, please contact the Health and Safety Advisor on health.safety@canterbury.ac.uk