No support from work

[Barbsta]

I'm 23 weeks and still yet to have a risk assessment and from the 31st of march I've been told il be single manning 9 hours of my 13 hour shift. No breaks to eat or go to the toilet and £400+ of change I have to carry. I work in a bookies and there was 9 robberies last week and il be sat there till 10 at night with no bandit screen between me and the customers just a counter. This us all driving me sick with worry and to top it all off my blood pressure keeps dipping which makes me faint. I wish I could quit but I can't afford to lose my job but I'm feeling guilty about how this is affecting my baby and how il be putting her at risk. I just don't know what to do :(

My inexperienced suggestion would be to contact your HR department if you have one? There should be something in the policy/staff handbook about pregnancy and they need to make sure it's followed.

Spoke to hr and they said I need my district manager to do a risk assessment and it needs to be sorted with him. He is avoiding me like the plague and I can't pin him down. My old district manager had my shop manager do he risk assessment but he has no authority to change anything to give me no support. The new dom I got in January said that this was the incorrect way to do it and he would do it himself. I've since rang him to tell him I have a low placenta and have to take it easy and not lift anything heavy and also my blood pressure keeps dipping causing me to faint. He came into my shop yesterday while I wasn't in and told my manager he was just going to use the risk assessment already done. So literally no support and no changes and no correct procedure for the risk assessment

Write everything down - times you have contacted your district manager or HR and what they said, times when they have delayed getting back to you (you say you felt avoided).

Write down what you feel are avoidable risks and how you suggest you would address them - such as carrying heavy change (what other options? Carry less? A safe?), risk of fainting (need to be on shift with another staff member).

Effectively do your own risk assessment. If you have a copy of the old one, follow this as it is probably formatted in the company procedure.

Then start - whilst being friendly, professional and solution driven - being a PITA to get your concerns addressed. In writing. And back up every telephone conversation with an email if you can (but definitely write it down).

You are right to feel you need to put your foot down as you should not be placed in a dangerous position - especially when preg. If this is to start on 31st March, you will be 27 weeks plus? So in 3rd trimester. And clearly preg.

On the plus side, by that point you will have passed the 18-25 week window for calculating maternity leave pay and would be eligible to start your leave early if you want to.

Thanks I'm going to try again with my district manger tomorrow and see where that gets me. My maternity pay isn't great and I don't think il be able to take the full 9 months off so I'm trying to start it as late as possible so I'm not leaving the baby too soon. Once I'm back after maternity il be leaving as soon as I have another job because I have little respect for the place now. It's a shame because I've worked here 8 years with oy 3 genuine 1 days sicknesses and not even a single file note. But I'm easily replaced so it means nothing to them

If you don't get anywhere you could call ACAS for advice, their name usually appears in the news if they are involved in mediation when there is a big strike but they also help with smaller stuff. I've called them in the past and they were very good, they certainly don't contact your employer in anyway.

Pg or not no one (male or female) should be in a branch alone at any time of day if there is a high risk of robbery, I'd be out of my mind with worry, have you got a union?