Pregnant and getting off work on Health and Safety grounds for 5 weeks?

hedgeh0g

Pregnant and getting off work on Health and Safety grounds for 5 weeks? - My partner heard this somewhere.

She is 5 months pregnant and it been tough for her. She was very queasy for months. The latest ailment is a really sore back and getting dizzy on the bus on the way to work. She will take maternity leave starting in Jan.

She heard from someone that its possible to get a doctors note on Health and Safety grounds to take 5 weeks off. Is this possible? on what grounds?
and is it better than disability pay?

She has worked for 9 years with the same company and had one sick day! Her employer is fair. Just getting some background info if anyone knows anything.

ash23

As far as I know (and this is just from when I was pregnant which is a few years ago now), the health and safety aspect only comes into play where the job is dangerous to mother or baby. In that case they have to be found alternative work or they take leave.

In my case my position involved being in a smoky area with lots of heavy lifting. When I got pregnant I was moved to the office for administrative work.

I had to finish up earlier than intended due to complications and was on disability benefit until my maternity benefit kicked in.

Unless your wifes physical ailments are caused by her actual job then she wouldn't be eligable, Again though, I'm open to correction on this.

Nevyn

She should talk to her dr.

silja

I don't think Health and Saftey applies here, as it is not the job that is dangerous for her as a pregnant women (and in cases where it is dangerous, the employer generally needs to be given a chance to make it safe first- by moving the pregnant employee to a different office etc), it is just that she is not able for it. Is she entitled to sick leave, through ehr job or the Social Welfare? My first pregnancy was with twins, and at 27 weeks I was just not able for it anymore as it involved a lot of standing and I was just too tired and sore all the time. My GP wrote me off sick- Social Welfare paid whatever their sick payment is, and as I had been with the company for several years, they topped up the payment to full pay. This lasted 10 weeks until my maternity leave.

hedgeh0g

Thanks for the posts.

The only health and safety aspect I could determine was the chairs were not up to scratch in the place (she does admin work sitting down). I think she got the wrong advise. Health and safety refers directly to the work place as I had thought myself.

If she is so unwell, I think disability is the only option prior to taking maternity.

Just wondering on full stamps (she in full employment for 10+ years)
what would she get for a few weeks, say a max of 6 weeks?

jaybee747

Not 100% but i think disability payment is about the same as the dole.
If her job has sick pay she could always go out on a sicky or alternatively she could take her maternity early, she can take it up to 16 weeks before her due date,means going back 16 weeks early but its an option.

Kaybe

hedgeh0g wrote: »

She is 5 months pregnant and it been tough for her. She was very queasy for months. The latest ailment is a really sore back and getting dizzy on the bus on the way to work.

Okay - I know this will come across as rather unsympathatic, but even though you state that it's been tough for your partner, when I read the sum total of "problems" it doesn't sound like she's having a particularly tough pregnancy at all.
To be honest, "queasy", "sore back" and "getting dizzy" during pregnancy actually sound like perfectly normal feelings.
There are thousands and thousands of pregnant women dealing with these exact 3 ailments every day and STILL going in and out to work every day. If every woman who felt queasy during pregnancy, or who had a sore back or who felt dizzy took a "sickie", it'd be a bad state of affairs.

As I say, I know that it sounds unsympathetic, but unless you are the King of Understatement and actually meant that your partner is suffering from hyperemesis when you mentioned queasy, and that she was suffering badly from SPD when you refer to pain etc, I think your partner should just get on with it like the rest of us.

I know, I know... I'll be shot!

amdublin

Is she eating breakfast before she goes on the bus?

Sometimes the dizziness can be from feeling faint from hunger?

Make sure she eats b/fast - tea and toast is good - before the bus. And maybe bring some crackers and a flask on the bus for good measure?

Sounds strange but this can also help the nauseasness as well.

As prev poster said. Sounds like normal symptoms of pregnancy - unless they are really really really bad.

Ps. Dizzyness can be from standing on bus as well. Hopefully people give her a seat!

holeary

This is really tough, yeah, my Mrs pretty much got told she need bed rest from week 9 with our second but she just carried on regardless till baby was nearly due, she had pre-eclampsia (not sure how it's spelt!). I guess it just depends on the situation doesn't it. if you can get rest while pregnant it helps the mom and baby to be more calm as we found the more stressful the pregnancy the more difficult baby is! it's 6 weeks after birth and im ready to die from lack of sleep!