Managing DSE Associated Risks in Pregnant Users

A refresh of Episode 11Pregnancy presents a unique health and safety challenge in the workplace in that the employer is not only concerned about the welfare of the employee, but also their developing child. The impact of pregnancy on any employee is different and so it can be difficult to predict the effects pregnancy may have on an employee’s ability to safely carry out their tasks.In Ireland, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Applications) Regulations 2007, Chapter 2 of Part 6: Protection of Pregnant, Post-Natal and Breastfeeding Employees apply from the time the employee notifies that they are pregnant, have given birth or are breastfeeding. These regulations outline the duties of the employer to reduce the risks present in the workplace that may cause harm to the pregnant employee and their developing child.A Pregnancy Risk Assessment should be completed in the early stages of pregnancy and upon return to work to identify the potential risks and put in place strategies to eliminate or reduce the risks. If the risks cannot be removed or reduced, the employee’s working hours / conditions should be adjusted, they should be offered alternative roles or the employee should be granted Health and Safety Leave.In this blog post, I summarise the workplace risks to the pregnant, post-natal and breastfeeding employee, the biological changes that may develop during pregnancy that can impact the ability to safely carry out work tasks and advice for pregnant DSE users to reduce discomfort and stress.The blog and sources for this episode can be found at:https://boyneergonomics.ie/considerations-for-working-at-a-dse-workstation-when-pregnant/As always, I can be found online and on social media:[email protected]: boyne_ergonomicsTwitter: niamh_pentonyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamhpentony