Posted By Nicola Mason
One of our field staff who carries out a site engineering role on various building sites has informed us that she is pregnant. I have looked at the current HSE guidance but would like to hear from any others who may have dealt with this particular sector previously in order for us to safeguard hers and our safety. Any feedback would be gratefully appreciated.

Posted By Karen Todd
Hello Nicola,

In my previous job as a consultant, I was on lots of building sites - some very good and some very bad. I'm sure yours all fall into the very good category.

Although I was not involved in any manual work, I did have to climb scaffolds and ladders and climb in and out of scissor lifts etc. Also, ground on some of the sites was really bad and I have fallen on my backside on more than one occasion.

I did wonder how I would continue to do my job if I became pregnant, and assumed I would probably be grounded in the office if the issue arose.

The biggest problem I think will be when she becomes big. Her balance will be affected so climbing ladders and going over rough ground etc. could be a problem. Just in the same way as some teenagers undergo a rapid growth spurt and become clumsy because they have to get used to their new dimensions.

Know of someone who bent down to get an envelope out of a box - toppled forward and got stuck in the corner and required assistance to get up. Also know of others who required assistance getting up out of the bath.

I hope she won't encounter any Nethandral attitudes on site. We have just about got over the, "What's a woman doing on a building site?" issue and we don't need to be held back by "What's a pregnant woman doing on a building site" attitudes.

Karen