New and expectant mothers maybe considered to be at greater risk to hazards whilst carrying out their normal working practices. Although pregnancy should not be regarded as ill health and is part of everyday life, schools have a duty to promote gender equality and to support new and expectant mothers to continue to carry out their job safely.
Under the guidance for risk assessment, considerations are taken into account for women of childbearing age.
The employer is responsible to ensuring that when they are conducting risk assessments for the activities within their school they inform the staff of all hazards that are present.
Schools should undertake a risk assessment for new and expectant staff to identify all the risks to both the mother and their unborn child. This assessment will identify suitable control measures which the school should implement, to avoid the risk so far as is reasonably practicable, in accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
The definition of a ‘new or expectant mother’ means a mother who is pregnant, who has given birth within the previous six months, or who is breast feeding. The term ‘given birth’ is defined as ‘delivering a child or, after 24 weeks of pregnancy, or a stillborn child’.
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