To think that pregnancy is not a fecking disablity

[Reallytired]

I am pregnant and at work my boss has produced a fairly comprehensive risk assessment. Its four pages includes risks that I would never come across.

For example it says I am not to clear up bodily fluids. But then I am an IT technician I am not paid to clear up kids' wee or vomit. I have never done so and don't ever intend to.

The risk assessment suggests that I wear a face mask every time I change an inkjet cartridge. The kids are going wet themselves laughing. (Prehaps that is why the risk assessment menntions bodily fluids)

Supposely I am not supposed to do any manual handling whatsoever or to climb under desks. There is no guidence of how my wieght I am allowed to carry. For example am I allowed to carry an inkjet cartridge. (wearing gloves ofcourse)

It makes it a bit hard for me to do my job. The risk assessment will still be in force if even I choose to breastfeed until two years. I am in excellent health and just over 12 weeks pregnant.

risk management and arse covering to have a plan for every eventuality.even alien abduction at work

c'est la vie

Temperature, no. There are minimum acceptable working temperatures anyway (not sure what they are) but not maximum. Unless you can get doctor to say you are unwell because of temperature, and sign you off.

At the end of the day the risk assessment is to your benefit too, if your job is such that it cannot safely be done while pregnant, you have to be suspended on full pay until 29 weeks at which point they can make you start maternity leave.

Reallytired-whilst I do agree that its good your employer is taking this seriously a risk assessment should nevertheless be something that gives you sound advice and leaves you in no doubt that you can carry out your job safely whilst taking necessary precautions. Pregnancy is not a disability and just ask any second or third time mother wether they have gone about treading on eggshells and lifting nowt heavier than a packet of cornflakes! They havent!
Have you got a health and safety rep at work? If so they should be able to give you very definite answers on what you should and shouldnt do and they should continually re-assess it as your pregnancy develops- you might develop symptoms/ conditions which need re addressing.
They shouldnt just be "covering their arses" by writing down loads of unessecary stuff. This is unhelpful.
Your job should be risk assessed anyway and tweaked a bit to consider your pregnancy. Does everyone wear a mask when handling ink cartridges? what chemical fume does it give off that might be harmful? Your employer should be able to research and answer these questions
Sorry to rant but health and safety is a bit of a bug-bear of mine and so many people are ill qualified to do it.
Hope you get the answers you need

I wish I'd had a risk assessment done when I was preg with ds1 and ds2 instead of everyone going on about how it's 'not a disability' (not having a go at your title btw, that just is what they kept saying)
no, it's not a disability but it would be nice to cut a heavily pregnant woman a bit of slack and not expect her to lug loads of heavy stuff round/climb up on wobbly ladders etc some employers would like to pretend it doesn't have any effect on us at all

Some companies are just horrible when it comes to pregnant women. My colleague got pregnant. She was trying to battle her eating disorder to give the baby enough nourishment. Her pregnancy was quite unstable, and she had a lot of problems. At the time of the annual sales conference she was told she had to go. Her doctor advised against flying. The company didnt budge. Scared of losing her job, so she flew to Spain for the conference. She became unwell, her pregnancy was in jeopardy, and she had to stay in hospital in Spain for over a month, doctors would not let her leave till her pregnancy again was stable. She got back, handed her notice in and never looked back.

Temperature is part of the risk assessment, because pg women have different (in)tolerances to non-pg people to heat.

my boss filled on of these assessments and TBH i pissed myself laughing with some of the ridiculous things he deemed to be a risk.

e.g

I work in operating theatres as a rep for orthopaedic products.........he thought a risk for me was the confined space as i got bigger

Thoses who know what operating theatres are will know there is usually enough room to swing a fecking cat let alone fit in a pregnant woman.....

I just smiled sweetly and signed the bloody thing.

Its american litigation prevention gone mad

Sorry, had to laugh at the waering a mask bit and wee.

My employer is very good.

Yes, I do know what you mean about being a second time mother, when you have another child you don't have time to be diva. My six year old son isn't as demanding as a toddler, but he nevertheless needs looking after.

QuintessenceOfFrankenShadow, what you describe is terrible. I hope your friend sued for constructive dismissal.

I was recently told that a colleague can't cover in my department after 5 months as she is not allowed on the kick stools (The things with wheels on the bottom that you use to get things from high shelves) because of health and safety. I am TTC and I CAN'T WAIT until I am 5 months gone and won't be able to do over 50% of my job - I work in a library. It'll be even more interesting when my work mate is on holiday and I have no cover as I am going to have to call another member of staff from another office to get things for me from the shelves every 2 minutes.

YABU for the reasons mentioned above.

It's a legal requirement - they have to do it, so don't slate them for doing their job.

I know a lot of it seems OTT, but that's the way it is.

Where I work it's a job in itself to get some women to admit that they're pg as some cultures think that admitting to a pg will invite a devil to come and steal their fetus (we're not allowed to ask them even if they begin to give birth on the floor apparently) even if we suspect it. Eventually someone will admit that they're pg (verbally) and I ask them to write a note for their manager - just a line will do, dated and signed, so we can get the ball rolling re risk assessments/mat. leave. Nothing happens for weeks then until they suddenly realise that they need to book their mat. leave. I'm not allowed to chase them and I have to wait. It's quite frustrating as the jobs I'm talking about are physical, on your feet all day, using mobile machinery/chemicals etc but our hands are tied by employment legislation not to "discriminate" by talking to the pg ladies until they come forward. You are quite lucky that your employers are taking a responsible attitude but I agree, it does seem frustating all the dos and donts in the early trimesters. Suddenly everyone is an expert on pg women, even those who have not had children!!

YABU. I know they have such silly things on them sometimes but its for your own good.

I'm 31 weeks and my supervisor hasn't bothered yet. I have reminded her loads of times and she actually told the manager we had done it because she was pestering her about it.

I work on a deli in a supermarket. All the staff had to sign a working at height form incase they fell of one of the chairs that the people on the tills have. Even people that don't use them.

I got told off when I was pregnant for continuing to open the safe and get out the boxes of money, they said that I could keep going to open the safe but the other team (I had the key, they held the combination) had to pick the boxes out.
I also got my ass bollocked for archiving lever arch files at 30 something weeks pregnant.
I accepted their point of view, but did point out that I was lugging stuff around at home, on my hands and kness cleaning the kitchen floor etc etc!

Well, at least some of you have had a risk assessment, my line manager never carried one out for me. I had to order my own foot rest and wrist support.....

Foot rest / wrist support etc are pretty much standard where I work. We have special keyboards, mouse mats with wrist support, we had people come in and give demonstrations on how to adjust the brand news chairs which were bought for us... all as standard!