Rank: Guest 
|
Posted By Marcus Corcoran
Hi there
Was told the following story by a friend recently about her place of work and being relatively new to Health and Safety myself,your opinions would be appreciated.
A woman works for a company where there is only limited parking in the company grounds reserved for reps cars (on a rota basis), senior management and maybe some delivery vans, visitors.
All other employees must park in the streets / car parks in the nearby area which being in a busy town centre / residential area can be quite busy resulting in a fair walk from parking to the premises.
The woman is in the latter stages of pregancy and asks if she can park in the company grounds everyday and is refused.
I think the woman is a rep for the company anyway so would park what I beleive would be a company car in the rep spaces on a rota basis already.
My opinion is that a Risk Assessment should be carried out in any case where an employee becomes pregnant and this situation should be assessed accordingly.
Im guessing there would be dissabled space/s available within the grounds and maybe even visitor spaces so why couldn't she use one of those ?
There could be the argument that there maybe woman who work for the company who don't have a car and become preganant, who would still maybe have to walk to work but I think the woman in question has a company car.
My feeling is that the company are on dodgy grounds refusing to let her park in the grounds of the building when there are clearly the facilities to accomodate her.
I would be intersted in your opinions because I myself am in the early stages of a new role within Health and Safety ( taking CERTosh in Oct )and I find peoples views on here helpfull with my new learnng experience.
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Paul Oliver
So from your risk assessment, what are the significant findings assopciated with walking a short distance to work whilst pregnant?
Employers are not repsonsible for providing car parking at work, however once inside the workplace, they are responsible for providing safe routes of passage where there is a likelihood of pedestrians coming into contact with moving vehicles.
Also remember that your female employee is pregnant and not disabled, there is a very big difference.
Paul
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Paul Oliver
So from your risk assessment, what are the significant findings associated with walking a short distance to work whilst pregnant?
Employers are not repsonsible for providing car parking at work, however once inside the workplace, they are responsible for providing safe routes of passage where there is a likelihood of pedestrians coming into contact with moving vehicles.
Also remember that your female employee is pregnant and not disabled, there is a very big difference.
Paul
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Bob Youel
Don't foreget to evaluate the 'is she at work' situation - As a person 'at work' is different to a person 'not at work'
E.G. When somebody 'clocks off' and thereafter walks to their car [this activity in not in the course of their employment as they have clocked off ], even if the car is in the company car park, the situation can be different!
Just comments for you to think about
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Bunny
Having had two children I will back up what has been previously said....she's pregnant not disabled. Even in the later stages of pregnancy walking is not harmful and in fact some exercise is deemed good in pregnancy. Ok, she's feeling uncomfortable because she's in the later stages of pregnancy but if she's unable to walk then she should see a doctor because that's not normal!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Marcus Corcoran
Already its becoming clear that the company have no responsibility outside the womans working hours. If they also have no responsibility to provide parking then its starting to become clear why the request could have been refused.
Like I said my reason for posting is solely to learn more myself about Health and Safety for my job role. The woman / company in question are nothing to to do with me personally, my company has car parking for 4000 people so no problems there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Marcus Corcoran
By stating that there were disabled spaces I was in no way trying to imply the woman could be classed as disabled. I was mearly stating the fact that there seemed to be parking spaces available in the grounds that could be made available to her should it be deemed necessary.
I quoted spaces for delivery drivers, am I going to get told off for calling a pregnant woman a white van man next :-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By MarkJAWatkins
For the sake of a parking space we end up with another disgruntled employee.
Maybe it's just me and I am a bit of a push-over but we tend to take things to far. The company that I am employed at take H&S very, very seriously. The MD himself is H&S mad! We don't only look at the H&S aspects but also employee morale aspects.
If this person is a rep, and a good rep, the chances are that after her matermity leave she will leave your company and go elsewhere. All for the sake of a parking space.
The chances are that if she is in the late stages of pregnancy she doesn't have long to go until she starts her maternity leave. So for a few weeks you could tranform one of the visitor parkings spaces into her parking space.
By the way, I totally disagree that when the employee leaves the front door or "clocks off" that they are no-longer our responsibilty. How about safe access to and from work?
Regards,
Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Jeffrey Watt
Marcus
No legal reason to my mind.
But then sales maangers are real carers in my experience, creatures of empathy, like hyenas or piranhas.
I can imagine they are just ecstatic at losing one of their reps for 6-9 months and covering for her patch while she's gone.
I'm sure they are just going by the rules so they don't show any favouritism to one of their female colleagues, they wouldn't want to be seen as unfair.
Hmmmmm(Marge Simpson voice)
Jeff
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By John Webster
Ah, what happened to good old fashioned chivalry? Or even common courtesy?
What's the betting that not one of those senior managers, with their car number plates screwed to the wall on their individual parking bays, offers to park up the road and give up their space for a few weeks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Jeffrey Watt
Well said, John.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Paul Oliver
Sorry people but we live in a world of equality.
We need to keep everything on a even keel, I've been critised for showing concern to pregnant employees and also for not showing concern.
at the end of the day it is upto indiviual companies if they want to go that extra mile, but as the original poster asks, he is trying to gain an understanding of OSH and we are giving him the facts.
Thanks
Paul
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By John Webster
This is where the courtesy baby got thrown out with the inequality bathwater!
Equality has got s-all to do with it. Equality does not mean we have to be equally rude and discourteous to everybody. Courtesy is about balancing ones own needs with those of others. Its not just about taking a fair slice of the cake, instead of all of it, but also ensuring that the plate is passed to someone who can't reach it.
So for cake read parking spaces!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Les Welling
HR problem.....surely!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By www.thatsconvenient.comI would hazard a guess there are empty friveways in houses very near by? www.thatsconvenient. com Rent your driveway or car parking space. If you live near a city, town, railway station, underground station, football stadium, racecourse, or airport, your driveway could earn you money today. www.thatsconvenient.com The solution to parking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Michael Mowse
I say let her park in the street and walk the rest of the way, after all the walk will do her good.
Mike
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Linda Crossland-Clarke
Hi folks
Can I ask if she is required to carry, pull anything - bag, laptop? Then due to the softening of the spine it is perectly reasonable to provide nearer parking or ask someone to carry her load. I now have visions of some ones hand cradeling the bump!
Regards
Linda
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Joe McCluskey
Couple of questions :
If she is so laboured and far along in the pregnancy - should she be driving in the first place ?
She may be a hazard to herself, her unborn child and other road users.
What about emissions from her car, and other cars in the street affecting her pregnancy? - should the employer then have to provide BA equipment?
Regarding the issue of safe access / egress ( refererred to by MarkJAWatkins) I assume would only apply within the confines of the actual workplace and the actual access points of that workplace. not the walk from the street to the workplace - Otherwise any person walking or travelling to work would be affected by this thought.
OR.....Could the car be determined as " a place of work" ? and as such the employer would have to provide safe passage from her house into the garage ( or street) so she can access the car safely ?
anyhoo....I think its safe to say that we can tend to over think the situation. The employer possibly refused the parking space as it may appear to be unfair to other employees - The DDA would not(I assume) apply, as the employee is not suffering from a registered disability.
( the disability only applies when the baby is born and eventually turns into a stroppy teenager - thats pretty disabling in itself)
It may have been beneficial had the employer posted a notice requesting a volunteer to give up a parking space in the short term etc. But then he may fall foul of the Sex Discrimination act as this would then only be available to women!
As I say we sometimes overthink things......
Joe
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Jay Joshi
Get an occupational health nurse/physician involved in the medical/health aspects of the "assessment" if there is no information available from her GP
OK, technically, she may not be "at work" when walking to the car park etc, but as a caring employer, nothing prevents you from making reasonable adjustments, even if it means somebody else has to give up a parking space temporarily.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Merv Newman
I'm very inclined to employ a few swear words here but the minotaurs don't like it.
Instead :
Respect, decency, courtesy, chivalry, kindness and care. A pregnant woman deserves all of that. Even though there seem to be a lot of them at the moment. Must have been the spring bank holiday.
The MD should offer HIS parking space. And the next woman along gets the chief accountant's space.
And no, my wife is not looking over my shoulder.
Merv
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Guest
|
Posted By Diane Thomason
Well said Merv, Jay, John, Mark.!!!!!!!!!
Dare we use the words "common sense"??
I was saddened by the tone of some of the replies.
I realise this query was posted for "academic" reasons, but wouldn't it be sad if employers would only consider this very small, very short-term concession if forced to do so by some law.
Sure, pregnancy isn't an illness, but it's a highly variable state and for some people can be very hard going. It's quite normal to lack stamina, and get breathless easily, in late pregnancy. This is due to (a) having to give away a lot of your oxygen to a sizeable, rapidly-growing baby + placenta + a large muscular uterus, and (b) lung capacity being reduced as the uterus swells massively and squashes other organs out of the way, including upward pressure on the lungs.
The original posting did say it was a "fair walk" from the off-site parking to the workplace. A pregnant woman who finds this walk a bit miserable is likely to still be perfectly cabaple of doing a desk job and driving a car, without major problems.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.