Union launches pregnancy risk assessment checklist

Employers have a legal duty to protect pregnant women from work-related risks, but many do not carry out a risk assessment when told that a worker is pregnant.

To help union reps insist on these rights, USDAW shopworkers' union has produced a checklist of problems to assess - covering topics including stress, manual handling, hazardous substances, working time and violence.

The risk assessment should be carried out as soon as the employer knows of the pregnancy, but USDAW says it may be necessary to review it as the pregnancy develops.

The checklist can be downloaded from www.usdaw.org.uk/equality/resource_library/1109846993_26698.html