Employers have a legal responsibility under Section 19 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 to provide, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy work place for all employees. Pregnancy brings many changes that are limited to the duration of the pregnancy and a short time following. The changes that occur during pregnancy will vary on an individual basis, and may interfere with the ability to carry out work duties in the usual manner. As an employer you need to be aware of and respond to the needs of an employee during pregnancy and on return to work after having given birth. Action taken needs to be appropriate to the type of work undertaken, the hazards present and to any medical complications that may be present.
Employees have a duty to take reasonable care of their own safety and health at work.
Female employees should take the opportunity to discuss the effect work tasks undertaken may have on their pregnancy and visa versa with their treating doctor. This will enable any identified potential problems to be raised with the employer and to be dealt with at the earliest opportunity. During pregnancy profound physical and physiological changes occur to the woman, and some may affect the individual's working capacity. This reduces the heart's ability to adapt to exertion and increases the venous pressure in the lower limbs rendering standing for long periods difficult. A variety of functional modifications occur that result in fatigue.