Haven't told work yet - issues

[owltrousers]

Hello!

I'm almost 8 weeks pregnant, we've told our parents and brothers and sisters but are keeping it from everyone else until the 12 week scan.

I work in a clinic as the receptionist but occasionally I do some cleaning and hoovering if we don't have patients in. Outside the clinic is a small patio area at basement level and the only way to get to it is to climb through the window. Recently some rats have moved in and had babies and you can often hear and see them out there. My bosses have asked me to go out there and clean the windows from the outside this evening. Its a small enclosed space and quite dirty, plus the window climbing and the rats... I just don't feel comfortable doing it, whats more I wonder if it might be a health risk for me at the moment.

What would you do? I don't really want work to know I'm pregnant just yet if I can help it.

Well rats are a health risk whether you're pregnant or not, so they need to call in pest control to sort that out, and I would use that as my argument for not doing it.

As far as climbing in a window (presumably ground floor and you're not in danger of falling) or cleaning a window, you're pregnant, not ill. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but most women carry on with normal life just fine, your baby is a minuscule at this point, and tucked safely away in your pelvis.

Also assuming the window is ground floor and you wouldn't end up falling, it's fine I suppose. (Although a bit weird it's the only option)

As for the rats, that needs sorting no matter what.

It was more the rats that was worrying me. My bosses handed me some poison to put down on Monday but I refused to do it - not exactly in my job description. My boss got his son to go out and lay poison everywhere.

Thanks for your replies.

I worked in a hospital, I found it best to tell them as soon as I found out as my boss then looked out for me and asked other people to do anything deemed slightly hazardous.
If you're really worried about cleaning maybe wear a mask and use gloves?!

Clinic and rats are outside near the office?!
Contact environmental health if not dealt with by poison.

Is there not another way to get to the patio area? (Sorry if I sound stupid, but it seems silly to have a patio without proper access)

In terms of climbing through a window to clean I think this is unreasonable whether you are pregnant or not, health and safety I'm sure would be all over this, what if you slipped and fell? It doesn't matter that it's not high, I personally wouldn't be happy doing it, and I definitely wouldn't be happy going into a room infested with rats, that's pest controls job, they have proper equipment and protective gloves suits etc.

Can you say you have a fear of rats? And you didn't want to make a big deal about it but they give you panic attacks? I do agree with superflyhigh though, environmental health could be a good suggestion to your boss in the meantime