UCL SSEES: Risk Assessment - Pregnancy

A requirement of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the SSEES Statement of Safety Policy is that risk assessments should be carried out in order to consider what measures should be put in place to manage risk and reduce potential hazards.

Arrangements in respect of pregnancy

A pregnant worker is defined as someone who is either pregnant, has given birth within the previous six months (including still births after 24 weeks), or is breast feeding. When a woman informs UCL (the employer) in writing that she is a pregnant worker as defined above, UCL will arrange for a Risk Assessment of her work activities and where any risk to the mother or unborn child is identified, control that risk.

Below is the procedure to be followed if notification is made. (Only those items in bold are required of the pregnant worker).

1. Notification should be made in writing to the SSEES Safety Officer by the pregnant worker.

2. Receipt of written notification will be confirmed in writing and copied to the School Director. A copy of this confirmation will be sent with a Risk Assessment form (http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/riskpregnant.doc) and information relating to maternity benefits to the pregnant worker by the Human Resources Division.

3. The risk assessment will be carried out jointly by the pregnant worker, Departmental Safety Officer, and/or Supervisor. (Departments may elect to have independent input from the UCL Safety Office or relevant Safety Representative).

4. The SSEES Safety Officer or Supervisor will send the Risk Assessment form to the UCL Safety Office for scrutiny.

5. The Safety Office will scrutinise the Risk Assessment form and, where it is thought necessary, seek further information from the Department/Supervisor. The Department/Supervisor may also seek health advice from the Occupational Health Service. After all concerns have been addressed, the Risk Assessment form can then be signed by the Supervisor to declare that there is no significant risk or that the risk has been controlled, or that the pregnant worker has been assigned alternative duties.

6. Once the Risk Assessment is completed the Declaration is acknowledged by the pregnant worker.

7. The Risk Assessment is then passed by the SSEES Safety Officer or the Supervisor to the Human Resources Division for filing on the pregnant worker's personal file.

8. NB A copy of the completed and signed Risk Assessment needs to be held in the Safety Records held by the SSEES Safety Officer.

This page last modified Tuesday 11 September 2007.