Carry out an individual risk assessment for a pregnant worker once pregnancy is notified in writing.
Occupational Health & Safety
Risk Assessment and Adjustments for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Workers
Learn to carry out individual risk assessments for pregnant and breastfeeding workers, identify hazards specific to each trimester and put lawful adjustments in place.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A generic workplace risk assessment says nothing about whether a specific task is safe for a worker who is pregnant or breastfeeding, and the legal duty to assess that risk individually is often missed until an employee raises it herself. This course teaches health and safety practitioners, line managers and occupational health advisers how to carry out the individual risk assessment required once a pregnancy is notified, covering manual handling, prolonged standing, display screen work, chemical and biological agents, temperature, and shift or night work. Participants learn how risk changes across trimesters and why a single assessment at notification is not enough. The course covers what to do when no adjustment removes the risk, including suspension on full pay as a last resort, and how to set up breastfeeding facilities and expressing breaks on return from maternity leave. Practical exercises include drafting an individual risk assessment from a real job description and briefing a line manager on adjustments that protect the worker without treating her as unable to work. By the end, participants can run this process confidently and review it at the right points during pregnancy and after return.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Identify hazards that change in significance across each trimester of pregnancy.
Assess manual handling, standing, chemical and biological exposure risks specific to pregnancy.
Apply adjustments to duties, hours or workstations before considering suspension on medical grounds.
Recognise when suspension on full pay is the lawful last resort under the regulations.
Set up practical breastfeeding facilities and expressing breaks for a worker's return to work.
Schedule risk assessment reviews at the points in pregnancy where the risk picture changes.
Who Should Attend
Health and safety advisers responsible for individual risk assessments under the regulations.
Line managers supporting a pregnant or breastfeeding employee in their team.
HR professionals coordinating adjustments, suspension decisions and return-to-work arrangements.
Occupational health practitioners assessing fitness for specific tasks during pregnancy.
Facilities managers arranging rest and expressing facilities for breastfeeding employees.
Manufacturing and healthcare supervisors managing pregnant workers in physically demanding roles.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Understanding the Legal Duty and When It Starts
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Triggering and Scoping the Individual Assessment
- Confirm the point at which written notification of pregnancy triggers a duty to assess risk.
- Distinguish the individual assessment required here from the generic workplace risk assessment.
- Gather job-specific information on tasks, substances and working patterns before assessing risk.
- Involve the employee directly so the assessment reflects her actual duties, not assumptions about them.
Session 2Mapping Hazards Across the Pregnancy
- Identify manual handling tasks whose risk increases as pregnancy progresses.
- Assess exposure to chemical, biological and physical agents named in relevant guidance.
- Consider prolonged standing, fatigue and workstation posture alongside physical hazards.
- Review night work and shift patterns against the specific risks they raise in pregnancy.
02Selecting and Implementing Adjustments
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Adjusting Duties, Hours and Environment
- Modify tasks, equipment or schedules to remove or reduce an identified risk.
- Adjust workstation layout and break patterns to address standing and display screen risks.
- Temporarily reassign duties that cannot be made safe through equipment or schedule changes.
- Document each adjustment and the reason it was judged sufficient to control the risk.
Session 2Handling Cases Where No Adjustment Is Enough
- Recognise when altered duties or hours do not reduce a risk to an acceptable level.
- Consider suitable alternative work before treating suspension as the only remaining option.
- Apply suspension on full pay correctly when no suitable alternative role is available.
- Communicate a suspension decision in a way that avoids the employee feeling penalised for it.
03Supporting Breastfeeding on Return to Work
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Assessing Risks for Breastfeeding Workers
- Assess chemical, biological and physical exposures relevant to a breastfeeding worker's role.
- Identify tasks that affect milk supply or make expressing during the working day difficult.
- Review fatigue and shift patterns against the practical demands of breastfeeding at home.
- Update the risk assessment to reflect the change from pregnancy to breastfeeding status.
Session 2Arranging Facilities and Practical Support
- Provide a private, hygienic space for expressing milk that is not a toilet facility.
- Arrange refrigerated storage and reasonable break times for expressing during the working day.
- Brief the returning employee's team on the practical arrangements without unnecessary disclosure.
- Review facility arrangements against feedback from the employee after the first weeks back.
04Reviewing, Recording and Improving the Process
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Keeping the Assessment Live Through Pregnancy
- Set review points tied to trimester changes and any change in duties or diagnosis.
- Update control measures promptly when the employee reports new symptoms or restrictions.
- Record the history of assessments and adjustments in a single accessible case file.
- Close out the file appropriately at the start of maternity leave and before return.
Session 2Building Organisational Capability
- Train line managers to recognise when a task needs reassessment without waiting for a complaint.
- Create a standard individual risk assessment template that fits the organisation's typical roles.
- Audit past cases to check adjustments were applied consistently across departments.
- Feed lessons from complex cases into revised guidance for managers and occupational health.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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