Posted By anon1234 I would suggest that any pregnancy risk assessment would identify the issue of fatigue if the role involved being on their feet all day - the logical control measure would be to allow suitable breaks - therefore it is part of compliance with the risk assessment, thus to all purposes becomes a 'legal' requirement and therefore I don't think any deductions should be made. NOTE: the above would in my view only be one of the many factors to consider during the pregnancy risk assessment

Posted By Clive Lowery Anon1234 & Jonathan, thanks for the replies. I have read both INDG373 and INDG373hp. Quite like the approach of the Risk Assessment. Not sure whether extra breaks was involved and will have to ask a few more questions of the lass, unfortunately she has read it but does not have a copy. (Yet) Cheers Clive

Posted By Merv Newman I'm going to repeat my response (as far as I can remember it) to a previous thread on mother-hood) "kindness, understanding, courtesy, chivalry, caring. All pregnant women deserve and need this" Pregnancy is neither a handicap nor an illness. It is a condition which requires nurturing. After about 6-months (maybe be even before) (Please don't hurt me) the pregnant women will be suffering pressure on her intestines, her lungs, her bladder and maybe her heart. And damned sure on her legs. (How much can all that weigh ?) Let alone the stress of worrying about the future. So, if she needs a pee-break, encourage her to go whenever she feels like it. If she needs to lie down, provide facilities. If she needs her husband or a mid-wife, have the phone numbers handy. My son is now 44. But I still remember the jelly-like state I was in from about midnight on the 9th of October 1984 to 9am on the tenth. And my wife's direct boss sat with me. (Registrar of Births, Maregies and Deaths) Thank god I'm too old to go through that again. Well, maybe not that old. Any volunteers ? Merv

Posted By Barry x As said in a previous post pregnancy is not an illness! This employee is allowed to take extra breaks and there is nothing in the law that would prevent her employer from ensuring that the lost time is made up or wages docked accordingly! Millions of women(probably billions)have had to work up until their due date in other countries in the past (either in employment or looking after other offspring) without the species becoming endangered or suffering any ill effects so why in this country must they be treated with kid gloves! Due consideration for their condition definitely but a free hand to abuse their position? NO

Posted By Sheila EJ Keogh Yes, but a proportion of women suffer miscarriages or give birth to premature babies - widely believed that can be caused by stress - who then can need incubator care, ongoing care etc. Large companies with the money should allow the necessary breaks (in my view). From personal experience, the employer gets far more from staff by allowing a break (15 minutes is often enough) every couple of hours, than from the staff member working through, fighting exhaustion, because they don't want to work late/weekends or to lose pay and then through tiredness not being able to work to their best standards. Sheila.