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Kate  
#1 Posted : 07 June 2022 14:50:25(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Kate

I see the HSE has changed its guidance on risk assessment for pregnant workers from only saying pregnancy should be considered in the general risk assessment, to very strongly worded guidance that you now must also do an individual risk assessment (which I think pretty much everyone was already doing anyway).

https://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/risk-assessment.htm

thanks 6 users thanked Kate for this useful post.
HSSnail on 07/06/2022(UTC), Roundtuit on 07/06/2022(UTC), peter gotch on 08/06/2022(UTC), aud on 11/06/2022(UTC), MikeKelly on 12/06/2022(UTC), Monika R on 14/06/2022(UTC)
HSSnail  
#2 Posted : 07 June 2022 15:01:39(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
HSSnail

Big turn around - and not what the legislation says at all - as an inspector i was always taught that the RA should be done before someoen told you they were pregnant so you had your controls ready to go - and what was needed was an individual review of duties once someone told you the news inline with the RA.

thanks 3 users thanked HSSnail for this useful post.
A Kurdziel on 08/06/2022(UTC), peter gotch on 08/06/2022(UTC), aud on 11/06/2022(UTC)
aud  
#3 Posted : 11 June 2022 16:34:38(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
aud

Well spotted Kate. I see there are a lot of "musts" in this new guidance page - I have noticed that there has been an increasing tendency to scatter the "must" word across this web guidance, although I have forgotten where else I saw it. This is in contradiction of HSE definitions (which lined up with the Highway Code) in that 'must' is only used where there an explicit regulatory requirement.

It has been a personal guideline for me to follow this convention, although not when I was a rookie as it was not (still?)  taught, although it should have been. I often see that 'musts' and 'must nots' are sprinkled through safety practitioner authored material, with little discrimination.  

Seeing cracks in the previously reliable HSE material.

firesafety101  
#4 Posted : 12 June 2022 09:11:24(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101

"Shall" was always the word that means "will do".

Is "Must" now alongside or has it replaced shall in some regulations.

John Elder  
#5 Posted : 13 June 2022 07:13:10(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
John Elder

In responce to Firesafety 101

An interesting explanition from an article written in 2013 in the Difference Between.com website.

Must vs Shall  

Must and shall are words in English language that have similar meanings. Both of them indicate the fact that something is mandatory and should be carried out as a duty. However, shall is used more in legal circles while must is used more often by common people. Many believe shall to be more formal of the two and fit for use in legal documents and contracts to stress a role or responsibility.

Shall

Shall is a verb that indicates a strong desire, intention, or assertion. It also refers to something that will take place in the future. It is also used to give an order or make a promise. It also indicates inevitability of something or an event. Take a look at the following examples to understand the meaning and usage of shall in English language. It is similar to will when used in first person.

• You shall complete the job by tomorrow (order)

• The train shall arrive tomorrow noon (future event)

• The justice shall be served (inevitability)

• The tenant shall make payment on every 5th day of a month (obligation)

Must

Must is a word that indicates the necessity or requirement of something. It can be used as a noun when it means something not to be missed or overlooked. It is something that is obligatory in nature or is required by law. It is also used to express physical necessity. Must also helps in arriving at a conclusion by using logic. Here are some examples of must to make its used and meaning clear.

• You must register to be able to vote (requirement)

• We must have oxygen to survive (Physical necessity)

• You must not play after dark (command)

stevedm  
#6 Posted : 20 June 2022 07:13:24(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
stevedm

The change is due to a court of appeal ruling that 'shall' no longer implies a contract obligation - PM Law Ltd v Motorplus 2019

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