Workplace risk assessments - what's considered?

[rainbowsilk]

I'm about to have my workplace risk assessment (currently 18 weeks pregnant) and I'd love to hear from anyone who's had theirs recently. I travel 2.5 hours to my office each way ( 2 hr train, tube, then walk), and I'm wondering if this is taken into consideration for the assessment. I do it 1-2 times a week which was obviously fine pre-pregnancy, but now I'm finding it takes a couple of days to recover from it as I'm so all-round exhausted, and by the time I'm back to normal I have to do it all over again! They're a great employer and HR have verbally told me to do what I need to do to stay healthy, though my CEO (I'm on the leadership team) seems to forget, or demand my in-person presence more, and asks me to come in more frequently.

I'm also wondering if Covid is still factored into the risk assessment? I had it a month ago and it was rotten, causing a couple of scary side effects that I would not like to deal with in the third trimester.

I'm the first pregnant woman to work at my company (a quick growing start up) and was self employed when pregnant before so it all feels a bit blind leading the blind. I don't want to be unreasonable to my otherwise great employer, but at the same time I want to make sure I'm protecting my health and baby.

Thank you!

Oh and also in case it's relevant - I work in a business of about 100, office-based, not public-facing.

@rainbowsilk
I work for the NHS and not allowed near any ward that has covid, my duty have been drop to really non existence but that's because I have had 4 miscarriages so they r really looking after me this time.

I've done work based risk maternity risk assessments.

I can't remember it covering how they get to the work place. We have some business travel (by car) and that's considered in as much as whether there are enough breaks / reduce driving and when someone's bump is getting bigger, the risk associated with driving when heavily pregnant. But I don't think it covers commuting - because that's not a work place (it's not my business where someone chooses to live compared to where they work)

You might well have an employer who takes that in to consideration, but to me the work place risk assessment is about your place of work - so the office, yes considering covid risk (RCOG has specific guidance on covid risk in pregnancy), and also considering your desk space / DSE / making sure there is a space for you to have more frequent breaks during the day / managing your stress levels. But they have no jurisdiction over your choices which means you commute that distance. It might be that they can adjust so you commute at a time outside or rush hour to make your commute less stressful. The HSE guidance lists various things which should be considered, commuting distance isn't on that list.

I have risk assessments each trimester, I work in a vets, I've only had the 1st one done and should have second one done next week. The 1st one didn't cover anything about getting to work (I get the train and then a 45 min walk as it's a rural area, pre pregnancy I cycled). The covid part said about mask wearing, distance from clients/colleagues, hand sanistising and avoiding public transport.. area manager just said to take usual precautions on public transport. Other parts was to avoid heavy lifting, not to clean cat kennels, care when handling frauctious animals due to bite/scratches, avoid the drug used for general anesthetics in the circuits, wear gloves when handling certain drugs and not to work alone. Which I do work alone due to the set up on my branch and area manager said that can't be helped and she'd just text/call me each day to see if I'm ok on days I'm alone. So very work place specific!