Hi all; has anyone any pearls of wisdom that they are willing to share on how they have balanced the need to wear a seatbelt (ours are only lap belts) on fork lift trucks (where there may be a risk of overturn/collision etc) vs the potential risks of wearing lap belts - especially when we have an expectant mother (who incidentally loves driving the truck). I am aware that the belt is not designed to prevent impact/injury- but that it is there to stop the driver trying to escape and getting caught in the 'mousetrap' effect, with the potentially fatal effects that may result. My initial thoughts are that although sad it would/may be better to lose/harm the unborn baby as opposed to potentially losing both mother and baby in an overturn situation. Have I just answered my own question? Thanks for any advice that you are willing to share with me. Stuie

Hi Ray; having discussed this with the EM concerned yesterday during the RA process - she asked if she should or should not wear the seatbelt; perhaps my original post was unclear on this. She does not want to stop driving (large and integral part of her role) but recognises at some stage this may be physically not possible. Whilst we can (with a bit of effort) find her other duties she does not want to do this at this stage. She drives into work each day. Stuie

Surely the likelihood of an overturn or collision remains the same as previous to the pregnancy. If the driver starts to have difficulty in operating the controls or mount/dismount due to her growing size then that is the time to find alternative tasks. I think that the issue of seat belt or not is a red herring. If there is a situation where the seat belt is called on to do its job the threat to the driver is severe, regardless of any pregnancy. The baby is well protected against most scenarios, particularly at the speeds of a well driven FLT. Thus I think that the lap belt should still remain in use, but I would be interested to hear other viewpoints, never having been pregnant myself.

It appears to be a judgement call. However, what should be borne in mind is that regardless of whether the expectant mother wishes to carry on with FLT operating, the employer has a duty to ensure they have not exposed the mother and unborn child to any unecessary risks as per Reg16 MHSWR. The fact that she chooses to drive into work is not relevant because the activity is outside the workplace.

Agree with ClaireL on this one. The pregnancy is irrelevant. If the RA has found that seat belt is necessary then that's it really. The real issue is whether the lady in question should be on an FLT as her pregnancy progresses. In assessing that I would be looking at the difficulties of mounting and dismounting, WBV if there is an internal combustion engine, sitting for long periods without an exercise break, driving over rough surfaces etc.

Can I ask if anyone has asked an OH Doctor or nurse for their opinion? Surely as with other areas competent persons should give advice. If you have no OH doctor or Nurse then get the employee to speak to their own doctor for advice and get it in writing. If they see no specific additional risk at the current point in labour then there is no issue. You would however want guidance on when it would become an issue. As an aside, what about morning sickness? It can be quite debilitating and could affect driving ability. Son of skywalker