Pregnancy Risk Assessment

[45andfine]

My line manager has conducted a risk assessment and asked that I be excused break duties and/or bus duties on my current allocated day, as I teach 4 hours of food practicals before lunch and an hour of theory after lunch. The teacher in charge of duty allocation has responded saying that pregnancy is not a reason to not do duties. I've suggested I swap to a different day when I have a session of PPA, but he's refusing to budge.

What concessions do schools usually make over break duties? Am I being unreasonable in my request?

He HAS agreed to swap my early morning break duty (on a different day) in the corridors to a less congested area of the school.

I'm 27weeks pregnant, generally fit and healthy, but an older mum and already struggling with breathlessness and slowing down.

All advice welcomed as well as sources of further reading and precedent on risk assessments.

Thank you!

The school has conducted a risk assessment and someone else in the school has overruled it? If someone did go wrong while doing the duties, aren't they worried you would sue? I would definitely seek union advice over this. What is the point of a RA if they ignore it?
Get the duty jobs worth to speak directly to your line manager. I can't relate to the duty part as where I teach we don't have any compulsory things like that. We aren't paid for break and lunch, they are (theoretically!) our own.

Speak to your union rep.

It's standard in most schools to be excused duties.

The phrase you need is "I don't feel safe".

This is from the NASUWT:
Risk assessment
During your pregnancy, your employer is required to carry out an initial risk assessment of your job and working environment, examining any risks that might affect you or your unborn child.
Your employer is required to confirm that a risk assessment has been undertaken. You should be given a copy of the risk assessment.
Further assessments should be undertaken if your job or working environment changes in any way.
If any risks are identified as part of the assessment, ‘reasonable adjustments’ should be made. These should be discussed with you first, and you should be asked for your opinion.
If any risks identified cannot be managed by making reasonable adjustments, and no suitable alternative work is available, your employer must suspend you on full pay for as long as necessary to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of your baby

Thank you all. I'll speak to my line and also faculty manager and see if they will have a word. I'm absolutely shattered this evening, having only sat down for 10 mins all day. Luckily a colleague took on my parents evening this evening else I would still be there!!

I did break duty all the way through my pregnancies! Feel like a mug now 😂

I continued duties too - it more depended on things like, could I sit down easily, did the weather make the conditions unsafe to be out on duty, is the area congested, etc. The duty itself wasn't the problem. Swapping would seem like a reasonable adjustment if there's a more suitable time for you to do one?

It's the norm in my school for pregnant staff to be taken off duties. The reason being they remove a break for staff and pregnant women often need more toilet breaks, time to eat more often etc.

I didn't do any duties during later stages of both pregnancies. I didn't mind doing them, but the risk assessment said not to and I wasnt going to argue!

I def feel more vulnerable in congested areas, teenagers have little spacial awareness, but don't want to look like I'm not pulling my weight!

It's not a case of not pulling your weight. You're pregnant and they have a duty of care and part of that includes breaks, time to use the bathroom, time to eat etc.

A good employer should want to have their staff in as long as possible and support them in doing so. It's much better for the children to have an established member of staff as long as possible and then a smooth transition to the maternity cover than it is to have someone in and out due to illness, pregnancy issues, pregnancy exhaustion and even being signed off for weeks at a time.

I was taken off duty when pregnant, I assumed that was standard practice as I have teacher friends in lots of schools and we all lost duty