Workplace Pregnancy Risk Assessment

The need to work in a place where there is no risk factor involved is very important especially so when you are pregnant. You can either do this workplace pregnancy risk assessment yourself or ask your company to do this assessment work.

Why is it necessary to do a workplace pregnancy risk assessment?

As a pregnant woman the need to assess all the risk factors is necessary right from what you eat, wear, exercise or for that matter the medicines you have as this could have side effects on your baby. Workplace pregnancy risk assessment is important as you are working in that atmosphere for a long duration of time and there are plenty of hazards which may seem normal but can cause damage to your baby. Some of the hazards which cause harm are:

Exposure to computers: Working on the computer for a long period of time can cause many problems especially during pregnancy like the need for proper lighting. If you are in direct contact with bright light while working on the computer then your eyes might get strained though this problem can affect anyone but then the chances are more so during pregnancy as there is a constant changes in the body hormones and it is said that the eye gets drier during pregnancy. The need to use an anti-glare screen to protect your eyes is important.

Constant sitting: Completing a workplace pregnancy risk assessment test if you find that you have to work sitting in the same place for long time duration then this could also prove harmful, not only sitting but even standing for long periods can be harmful. The need to take a break every couple of hours or the need to stretch yourself will be good for both you and your baby.

Ergonomics: Using a good ergonomics when you are pregnant is important as this is the right manner in which you have to be seated in front of the computer as bad or uncomfortable sitting postures could lead to pains and aches as there is a constant change in the hormonal level in the body.

Weight lifting: The main problem arises when you bend forward to lift anything heave so the best way to lift anything heavy is to bend the knees, keeping the thing to be lifted close to the body making sure that you don’t twist your body when you are lifting. Either way round lifting things which is beyond your capacity is bad and is not advisable. If you have to constantly life things in your workplace then you need to talk to your employer to make alternative arrangements during pregnancy as this is not permissible.

Chemical Risk: Exposure to harsh chemicals can be hazardous and in spite of wearing protective gears these chemicals do cause problems. Requesting your employer to make alternative accommodation so as to get minimal exposure to such chemicals is important.

Risk of standing: Standing for a long period could cause swelling in the legs and could also lead to dizziness. You could also buy a pair of shoes that are comfortable as this reduce the chances of your varicose veins. Either sitting for a long period of time or standing for a long period of time causes problem then you can always cross your leg so that you can feel comfortable. Most of the companies do help their employees to this workplace pregnancy assessment so that the employees don’t have to face problems even then in case you do face some problems you can discuss it with the head of the human resource department and get the problem solved.