when do i tell work i am pregnant ??

[rockyroadahead]

I am 4c weeks preg just had it confirmed at the doc this morning! so am only telling very very close people so far 5 people know . but i dont know if i should tell work straight away or not .. i am a beauty therapist so there are some hazzards eg essential oils etc ...
also 2 girls have just gone on maternity leave .. so they wont be thrilled !

is it better to tell them sooner or later ?

If there are hazards, then you really ought to let them know straightaway, so they can perform a risk assessment. If there aren't though, you don't need to let them know until quite a bit later on, depending on their policy.

Yeah you definitely need a risk assessment done. Don't worry about the other two girls who have gone off though - they'll likely be back by the time you go off.

Oh and congrats!!

For most maternity leave/statutory policies it seems to be you need to let them know before the 15th week before so approx 25 weeks pregnant.

What 'essential oils' are hazardous..?
My job has a fair few potential hazards (radiation, nuclear, violence/being alone, standing/breaks, shift working) & in theory if I'd told everyone officially then I would have had a "risk assessment" although I didn't really see what that would change about my job - so just told people on a need-to-know basis whilst avoiding the avoidable hazards... & did the official notification (saying when I planned to start Mat Leave, provisionally how long, whether I wanted to come back part time etc.) way later i.e. after the 20 week scan because I was/am paranoid!

I blurted it out to my manager on the phone when I was explaining why I was off sick, I didn't really mean to. But he has made me aware of some chemicals I should avoid and duties I should be avoiding. I am waiting for Occupational Health to do an assessment, but as Morgan says, I can't see what they can really change. The duties deemed dangerous are big parts of my job, we are over stretched as it is, I don't see how I can avoid doing them, there isn't anybody else to do them.

I believe if something you do is very hazardous (say x-rays) your place of work would have to give you alternative duties or put you on paid leave.

Nobody else at work knows yet apart from a manager further up though they may have suspicions.