Pregnant Employees Research Articles

Workplace intervention among pregnant hospital employees − a cluster randomised trial evaluating sick leave

ObjectiveSick leave during pregnancy is common and associated with strenuous working conditions and multiple occupational exposures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of midwifery facilitation of sessions with pregnant employees and managers focusing on work adjustment, to reduce discomfort and occupational risks. MethodsA cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted. Hospital employees were randomised to intervention or reference. The intervention group received additional midwifery support in addition to the standard hospital pregnancy policy provided to the reference group. Outcomes were pregnancy-related sick leave and general sick leave. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed with mixed-effect models. ResultsSick leave was similar between the intervention and reference groups, and 51 % of pregnant employees did not take any days of full pregnancy related sick leave, while approximately 21 % took more than 30 days. Group differences in mean estimates for partial sick leave were −0.5 (CI −2.3;1.3) days. Differences in full sick leave was 1.2 (CI −2.9;5.2) days, and 0.6 (CI −1.0;2.1) days for general sick leave. ConclusionMidwifery support as an add-on to usual pregnancy policy did not decrease sick leave during pregnancy compared to usual practice in a study population of Danish healthcare professionals. Midwifery support tailored towards the specific work environment may perhaps provide better results.

Considerations for occupational risk management during pregnancy: A summary of a continuing education course.

Women comprise approximately 40% of the global workforce, and many women continue to work during pregnancy. Although occupational exposure limit values (OELVs) are intended to protect all workers, many OELVs may have been established without consideration of the unique changes in pregnant workers, and many chemicals lack OELVs altogether. A short educational course was developed to address the informational needs of health professionals who have responsibility to ensure a safe workplace for pregnant employees. The course was designed to raise awareness of the key elements in risk management and their application to the pregnant worker, such as physiological changes of pregnancy that influence susceptibility to exposures; guidance for nonclinical data interpretation; exposure assessment and control strategies; and risk management in practice in a diverse regulatory environment. This paper summarizes the course content and is intended to support informed risk management decision making to protect the health of pregnant workers and their offspring.

How does work during pregnancy affect maternal and infant health and development?

AbstractIn the United States, most mothers work during pregnancy. Yet, until the passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in 2022, pregnant employees did not have a right to reasonable accommodations to work under safe conditions. This law is expected to increase employment among pregnant women, making it critical to understand the effects of work during pregnancy on health and the potential benefits of the law. Because the prenatal period has long‐lasting consequences for health, employment during pregnancy can affect children's health and development in childhood and beyond. In this article, we review theory and empirical evidence on the effects of work during pregnancy on maternal and infant health. We propose a conceptual framework that outlines the pathways through which work during pregnancy affects health, discuss policies that are expected to affect work during pregnancy and health and conclude with priorities for future research.

Immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases among pregnant employees in Germany. A situation analysis before the introduction of the Measles Protection Act

BackgroundImmunization against vaccine-preventable diseases prior to pregnancy is an important measure of primary prevention both for the mother and the unborn child. We analyzed immunity rates against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and pertussis in pregnant employees in Germany prior to significant changes in legal conditions in 2020, to provide a basis of comparison for future research. MethodsWe analyzed occupational-medical routine data in three collectives of pregnant women with an occupational risk of infection in the years 2018 and 2019: 1: hospital staff with regular access to an in-house company physician (n = 148); 2: employees in childcare with regular access to external occupational-health services (n = 139); 3: teachers with no regular access to occupational healthcare (n = 285). Immune status was assessed by a physician based on vaccination certificates, laboratory results, and medical documentation on prior infections. We compared immunity rates against measles, rubella, varicella, and pertussis as well as full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. ResultsAltogether, n = 572 pregnant women were included in our study. Of these women, 96.5 % were immune to rubella, 95.8 % to varicella, 88.3 % to measles, 82.7 % to mumps, and 67.8 % to pertussis. Only 56.2 % of the women had full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. Collective 1 showed the highest immunity rates against measles and pertussis as well as the highest rate of full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. The immunity rates against rubella and varicella did not differ significantly between the collectives. With the exception of rubella, the lowest immunity rates during pregnancy were found in Collective 3. ConclusionWe found pregnancy-relevant immunity gaps in all our study groups with significant differences between the collectives. Considering the potentially devastating consequences of infections during pregnancy, all medical professionals and health-policy makers should be involved in an increased effort to improve vaccination rates prior to pregnancy.

A Qualitative Study Describing Experiences of Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace.

Qualitatively assess experiences of occupational pregnancy discrimination. A fully remote phenomenological qualitative study was completed leveraging semistructured interviews with a sample of pregnant employees in the United States. Inclusion criteria included being pregnant, working at least 35 hours per week, employed at least 1 year at current employer, and without diagnosed depression/anxiety. Participants (N = 20) were, on average, 30 years of age, worked 42.6 hours per week, self-identified as non-Hispanic black (50%), and earned least a bachelor's degree (85%). Individuals successfully identified various forms of pregnancy discrimination, believing it occurred due to systemic issues or perceptions that women are weak. Most did not report experiences of discrimination fearing retaliation or being unaware of workplace protections. Pregnancy discrimination in the workplaces comes in various forms and is an issue for some working pregnant individuals.

Allyship against interpersonal pregnancy discrimination: exploring observers’ spontaneous responses toward pregnancy self-disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and male allyship

PurposePregnant employees experience considerable interpersonal discrimination. This study explores the range of possible reactions of observers to pregnancy self-disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and various allyship interventions, and the attentional processes that lead to those reactions. Consequently, it uncovers socio-cognitive processes underlying support for and backlash toward pregnancy in the workplace.Design/methodology/approach This study used a thought-listing technique to explore observers’ spontaneous thoughts related to pregnancy. Working adults were randomly assigned to read through one of the six scenarios depicting pregnancy self-disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and male allyship interventions (i.e. stating the organization’s anti-discrimination policy, confronting the transgressor by calling out sexism, pivoting the conversation to highlight the strengths of the pregnant employee and a hybrid intervention combining highlighting strengths and confrontation) after which participants listed the top three thoughts that came to their mind (1,668 responses). Responses were thematically analyzed to explore spontaneous reactions toward the pregnant employee, transgressor and ally in the scenario.Findings Surprisingly, across all scenarios, the most sexist thoughts emerged during pregnancy self-disclosure, even in the absence of any transgression. After a transgression occurred, any allyship intervention was better than none in eliciting lesser sexist backlash against the pregnant employee. Stating the organization’s anti-discrimination policy was most beneficial for the pregnant employee in eliciting the least sexist backlash but at the cost of generating unfavorable impressions of the ally. Calling out the transgressor’s bias elicited the most sexist backlash toward the pregnant employee, yet it created favorable impressions of the ally. In contrast, highlighting the strengths of the pregnant employee created the most favorable impression of the ally while eliciting a few sexist thoughts about the pregnant employee. Overall, the hybrid intervention was the most effective at balancing the competing goals of generating support for the pregnant employee, creating favorable impressions of the ally, as well as holding the transgressor accountable.Originality/value This study demonstrates that the type of allyship intervention critically redirects the attentional focus of observers to certain aspects of a discrimination episode and relevant schemas which can generate support or backlash toward targets, transgressors and allies, thereby advancing or obstructing equity and inclusion in organizations.

Hospital managers' perspectives on pregnancy policy and work adjustments: A cross-sectional study.

Risk assessment and work adjustment according to EU legislation may safeguard pregnant employees and their offspring. Knowledge on management perspectives in relation to implementation of protective measures is limited. The primary aim was to describe Danish hospital managers' engagement in pregnancy policy and work adjustment for pregnant employees. The secondary aim was to investigate how managers' characteristics and the setting affect engagement and behaviour. This was a cross-sectional study of survey data from 212 managers. Outcomes were within dimensions of health promotion, pregnancy policy, work adjustment, collaboration, manager support, and sick leave. Logistic and ordinal logistic regression models were applied to identify associations between background information and outcomes. Of the managers included, 84% arranged meetings and 76% conducted occupational risk assessment. Most managers (96%) engaged in dialogue with the employees before sick leave. Most managers felt competent in providing guidance for pregnant employees and 99% considered work adjustment important, mainly to safeguard mothers and children. The self-reported data showed positive associations between female managers and feeling competent to guide the employee. Further, management training was associated with meetings with pregnant employees. Seniority was associated with feeling competent to guide and dialogue. Midwifery support was associated with competence in guiding employees about risk factors. Work adjustment and risk assessment for pregnant employees are considered a priority by Danish hospital managers. Overall, managers feel competent guiding pregnant employees. However, managers experience midwifery support beneficial for the guidance of pregnant employees.

Basics of worker safety under the draft Labour Code of Ukraine

The article analyses the draft Labour Code of Ukraine with regard to legal regulation of safety and health of employees.
 The author examines in detail Book Three «Safety and Health of Employees» of the draft Labour Code of Ukraine. It is established that this book contains the provisions of the draft Law of Ukraine «On Safety and Health of Workers at Work», which form a new system of management in this area.
 The article analyses the state of implementation of the Council Directive 89/391/EEC, Council Directive 89/654/EEC of 30 November 1989 on minimum safety and health requirements in work areas; Council Directive 92/85/EEC of 19 October 1992 on measures to improve the safety and health at work of pregnant, recently given birth or lactating workers; Council Directive 94/33/EC of 22 June 1994 on the protection of young people at work in national legal practice.
 The author analyses the current regulatory legal acts in the field of labour protection and draws attention to the need to update the national labour legislation. The main areas of reform in the field of safety are highlighted, namely: general requirements for occupational safety and health protection at workplaces, machine safety, electrical equipment safety, personal protective equipment, use of explosives, mining operations and noise protection.
 The author establishes that the draft Labour Code of Ukraine provides for a change of legal emphasis from «labour safety» or «labour protection» to the European principle of «employee safety». The consequence of implementing this principle in practice will be the achievement of complete elimination or minimisation of risks to the life and health of each employee.
 The author examines the rules governing the safety and health of certain categories of employees, namely, female employees (pregnant employees, employees who have recently given birth and breastfeeding employees), employees under the age of 18, employees with disabilities. Concludes that the draft Labour Code of Ukraine does not pay due attention to the specifics of work of employees who have children under the age of three, or have a child with a disability, or are raising a child on their own, which requires further elaboration.
 Proposals are made regarding the need to enshrine in the draft Labour Code of Ukraine the minimum amount of funding for expenses incurred at the expense of the employer for the safety and health of employees at work.

Position paper on working in the intensive care unit during pregnancy : DIVI recommendations for improving the situation of pregnant employees in the ICU

The Maternity Protection Act is intended to protect the mother and the child from hazards, excessive demands and damage to health in the workplace, and from financial disadvantages and loss of employment. However, the objectives defined by the Maternity Protection Act-the safety and health of the pregnant employee on the one hand and the prevention of disadvantages in working life on the other-are not yet adequately achieved in the intensive care unit (ICU). Implementation of the Maternity Protection Act to the benefit of all involved parties should also be promoted in the specialist areas represented by the DIVI, in particular the work of pregnant physicians and nursing staff and other working specialists (respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, psychotherapists, and social workers) in the ICU. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness of the need to consider each pregnant and breastfeeding staff member individually and to work together to find apersonal solution for continuing to work in the ICU. Possible ways and solutions to achieve this goal are outlined and practical examples are given for implementation in everyday clinical routine. These are also based on comprehensive presentation of activities according to atraffic light color-code system for all occupational groups. Arguments against pregnant employees working in the ICU are discussed and possible solutions are presented.

Position paper on working in the intensive care unit during pregnancy : DIVI recommendations for improving the situation of pregnant employees in the ICU

The Maternity Protection Act is intended to protect the mother and the child from hazards, excessive demands and damage to health in the workplace, and from financial disadvantages and loss of employment. However, the objectives defined by the Maternity Protection Act-the safety and health of the pregnant employee on the one hand and the prevention of disadvantages in working life on the other-are not yet adequately achieved in the intensive care unit (ICU). Implementation of the Maternity Protection Act to the benefit of all involved parties should also be promoted in the specialist areas represented by the DIVI, in particular the work of pregnant physicians and nursing staff and other working specialists (respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, psychotherapists, and social workers) in the ICU. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness of the need to consider each pregnant and breastfeeding staff member individually and to work together to find apersonal solution for continuing to work in the ICU. Possible ways and solutions to achieve this goal are outlined and practical examples are given for implementation in everyday clinical routine. These are also based on comprehensive presentation of activities according to atraffic light color-code system for all occupational groups. Arguments against pregnant employees working in the ICU are discussed and possible solutions are presented.

Predictors of the return to work for pregnant employees on preventive leave: Patients from an occupational medicine consultation in Switzerland.

According to the Swiss legislation on maternity protection in the workplace (OProMa), if pregnant workers are exposed to occupational hazards and no protective measures are taken, a gynecologist will prescribe a certificate of preventive leave and the women must stop working. Returning to work is only possible if job adjustments are made. This study aims to evaluate the burden of absences on companies and to examine the predictors of the return to work for pregnant workers on preventive leave, by examining both the probability of return to work and the time required to return to work. The study sample includes data on 258 workplaces of pregnant workers on preventive leave, collected during an occupational medicine consultation aimed at supporting the implementation of the OProMa. Information is available on the worker (age, date of consultation), the hazards to which she is exposed, the company's knowledge of the OProMa and whether a risk analysis exists. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis are carried out. In 58% of the workplaces, it was not possible to return to work before the end of the pregnancy. This corresponds to an average absence of 4.5 months. In 42% of the workplaces, a return to work was possible thanks to workplace adaptations. A conforming risk analysis and a full knowledge of the OProMa for companies, and an early visit to the occupational medicine consultation for workers are good predictors of the likelihood of returning to work. Younger age and exposure to certain types of risks are factors that influence the duration of preventive leave. The implementation of OProMa in Switzerland poses serious challenges, but early identification of occupational hazards and practices that anticipate compliance with the law in the company increase the return to work in safety for pregnant workers.

Economic Relevance of Preventable Prohibitions of Employment in Bavarian Schools

According to the Maternity Protection Act, an occupational risk of infection (e. g. in childcare) - combined with individual immunity gaps - can result in an irresponsible risk for pregnant women in the workplace. If this risk cannot be eliminated by any other means, the employer must impose a prohibition of employment (PE) for the pregnant woman concerned. We classified PE as preventable if the underlying immunity gaps could have been closed by immunisation prior to pregnancy. From 01.09.2016 to 25.03.2020, 1922 pregnant employees of Bavarian state schools obtained medical counselling on their occupational risk of infection as part of a research project. If the individual combination of occupational-risk profile and immunity status resulted in an irresponsible risk for the pregnancy, a PE was recommended by the attending physician. We determined the proportion of PE that would have theoretically been preventable by full immunisation prior to pregnancy and approximated the resulting - theoretically preventable - loss of working hours and personnel costs. In 425 cases (22%), a PE was deemed necessary by the attending physician, whereby 193 (45%) were retrospectively classified as theoretically preventable. Of these cases, 53 PE (27%) were temporary (valid until the 20th week of pregnancy) and 140 were long-term (valid for the complete duration of the pregnancy). Based on these results, we approximated a loss of 2,746 working weeks for our collective, which entails theoretically preventable personnel costs totalling 5,763,305 € for the observation period of our study (3.6 years). We then extrapolated estimates for all employees of Bavarian state schools and found a loss of 4,260 working weeks and theoretically preventable personnel costs amounting to almost 8,941,000 € per year during our observation period. Theoretically preventable PE caused by immunity gaps can entail a considerable loss of working hours and high personnel costs. Therefore, we should step up measures aimed at improving vaccination rates in women and increasing their willingness to be vaccinated. In view of the changes in legal and regulatory conditions in Germany since 2020, new investigations should be made as soon as there is sufficient data after the general employment prohibitions due to the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic have been lifted.

Enhancing maternity protection at work: assessing the contribution of a specialized occupational medicine consultation for pregnant employees in Switzerland

Abstract Aim Occupational exposures may harm the health of pregnant workers and their future children. While Switzerland has established specific regulations to safeguard pregnant employees while enabling them to pursue their job, there are limitations in implementing these provisions. This study aims to evaluate the contribution of an occupational medicine consultation (PregOH-consultation) in protecting pregnant workers and facilitating their safe return to work. Pregnant employees were referred to the consultation by their attending physicians in need of support in applying pregnancy protective legislation. Subject and methods Between 2015 and 2021, indicators were collected from pregnant workers who sought the consultation, as well as from their employers. Descriptive and correlational statistical analyses were performed. Results Out of the 328 work situations analysed, 98% presented at least one occupational hazard. Among the 272 companies contacted, only 14% had conducted a risk analysis, and 39% had implemented job adaptations. Among the pregnant workers whose employers were involved in the PregOH-consultation, 44% were able to return to work safely. Early referral to the consultation and pre-existing preventive measures within the company were identified as potential predictors of successul of the consultation in terms of safe return to work. The impact of the consultation was found to be less pronounced for women of foreign nationality. Conclusion The observed companies have insufficient measures in place to adequately protect pregnant employees, potentially jeopardizing their health or leading to premature job withdrawal. The PregOH-consultation serves as an effective intervention by facilitating hazard identification and enabling pregnant workers to safely continue their employment.

Risk factors for resignation from work during pregnancy among Japanese women: a cross-sectional, multicenter questionnaire survey.

This study was to investigate the employment status of pregnant women in Japan and identify risk factors associated with resigning from work during pregnancy. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 975 postpartum women in Tokyo and its suburbs, focusing on those who were employed during pregnancy. Women who were employed when they became pregnant were selected and divided into two groups: those who did not resign and those who resigned; the groups were analyzed separately. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between employment resignation and risk factors. The analysis revealed that 79% continued working, while 8.1% resigned. Risk factors for resignation included non-regular employment (OR: 13.1, 95% CI: 6.6-25.9), fewer employees (OR: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.8-6.4), and shorter employee tenure (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1-5.2). Non-regular employment status, a smaller number of employees, and shorter employee tenure were identified as risk factors for working women resigning from their job during pregnancy. In work situations and work environments that encourage pregnant women to leave the workforce, developing systems to improve these conditions for pregnant employees may help women to progress in the labor force.

Porovnání zániku služebního poměru vojáka z povolání a skončení pracovního poměru zaměstnance coby možného následku pravomocného odsouzení v trestním řízení

This study is focused on the consequences of a final conviction in criminal proceedings on the military service of a professional soldier in comparison with the employment of an employee. To provide a better understanding, a basic description of termination of both relationships is offered prior to examination of the main subject of the paper. Further on, the consequences of a final conviction in criminal proceedings on the military service of a professional soldier and on the employment of an employee are reviewed with a finding of great similarities. First of all, before the very formation of the relationship, a candidate’s clean criminal record is a must-have in case of military service and might be a must-have in case of some (specific) employment. Secondly, in case of a conviction and sentence to imprisonment (with no specific length of imprisonment) for an intentional crime, a professional soldier must be dismissed from the military service but an employee may (in regular cases) be dismissed only if they are sentenced to imprisonment for six (or twelve) months for an intentional crime. Finally, the study offers proposals de lege ferenda. One of them is to remove the necessity of giving a convicted soldier an extra two months after the final conviction is delivered by court before soldier’s military service is terminated. Another is to dispose of the limitation for the employer consisting of the prohibition of termination of employment with protected employees (pregnant employee, employee on maternity or paternal leave).

Workplace intervention among pregnant hospital employees – A protocol of a cluster randomized trial

BackgroundSick leave during pregnancy is frequent and 36 % of Danish pregnant employees are on sick leave > 14 days. Health care professionals are considered a risk population. This intervention applies preventive sessions including the pregnant employee, her manager and a midwife in addition to usual practiceat Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark (AUH). It is hypothesised that pregnant employees who participate in preventive sessions will have less sick leave and report better wellbeing compared to the reference group. MethodsAll departments at AUHare cluster randomized. A total of 25 and 24 departments are allocated to the intervention and reference group, respectively. The intervention is protocolled with preventive sessions in addition to usual practice. The reference group receives usual practice. The primary outcome is mean number of days on sick leave during pregnancy. Secondary outcomes are wellbeing measured as physical and mental health, general work ability, work-life balance, manager support, and completed work adjustments during pregnancy. Data on sick leave will be collected from the hospital payment system and survey data will be collected at inclusion and follow-up. DiscussionThis study will contribute to limited experimental research aimed to reduce sickness leave during pregnancy. The overall strength is the study design with easy access to study participants within a large hospital. The main limitation of the study is the high complexity of the study. Trial registrationThe trial is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with ID number 29-2019-03.

Profane Pregnant Bodies Versus Sacred Organizational Systems: Exploring Pregnancy Discrimination at Work (R2)

This paper explores how pregnancy discrimination at work is perceived by both employers and pregnant employees. Using a public, qualitative dataset collected by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission that offers perspectives from both employers and pregnant employees, we explore the unfair and unethical treatment of pregnant employees at work. Our findings show how pregnant workers are expected to conform with workplace systems that are treated as sacred. We suggest that employer valorization of the mythical figure of ‘ideal worker’ disadvantages pregnant workers. We observe how, even if this contravenes maternity protection laws, some employers self-justify discrimination against pregnant employees who they perceive to have transgressed ‘appropriate’ workplace behaviors as ethical and reasonable. To illuminate and conceptualize the notion of transgression, our analysis has led us to the ideas of philosopher Georges Bataille, specifically his reflections on how individuals who ‘transgress’ social norms are treated as taboo, as well as his metaphorical descriptions of people and practices as either sacred or profane. We theorize that pregnant workers who are treated as profane should be reclassified as sacred, opening up this idea for debate so as to disrupt long-standing patterns of discrimination.

Legal Protection Against Employment Laws Related to the Granting of Leave in Accordance with Applicable Regulations

The purpose of this writing is to find out how the legal protection of employment law relates to the granting of leave in accordance with applicable regulations. This type of written research method is qualitative in nature with the type of document. Qualitative research is a type of research whose results are not based on statistics or other calculations. Work is one of the efforts of humans as social beings to fulfill their basic needs. Legal protection for workers is needed considering that the government often ignores equality and fairness in the workplace. Legal protection for maternity leave for pregnant employees from several companies which is regulated in the employment contract, ie. the right to maternity leave and payment for maternity leave. In addition, based on the research results it is also known that in several companies the company's responsibility for maternity leave rights includes granting maternity rights. With the right to maternity leave, pregnant workers do not have to work shifts and pay during maternity leave. From an Islamic point of view, the aqad or contract that a company makes with its employees fulfills the principle of the contract. Because according to the clause that has been agreed before. However, there are still several rights that have not been fulfilled under Article 83 of the Labor Law No. 13 of 2003, namely granting the right to breastfeed a child if it has to be done during working hours.

Perinatal Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant Employees in Taiwan.

This was a longitudinal study of perinatal depressive symptoms among females employed in a large electronics manufacturer in Taiwan, conducted from August 2015 through October 2016. We used questionnaires to collect data on perceived job strain, social support, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at three perinatal time-points (pregnancy, delivery, and return to the workplace). Of the 153 employees who agreed to participate, 82 completed the three stages. The prevalence of perinatal depressive symptoms for the three stages was 13.7%, 16.8%, and 15.9%, respectively. The incidence at 3 weeks after childbirth and 1 month after returning to the workplace was 11.0% and 6.8%, respectively. During the third trimester of pregnancy, sleep problems (odds ratio [OR] = 6.2, 95% confidence Interval [95% CI] = 2.1-19.3), perceived job strain (OR = 4.4, 95% CI = 1.5-14.3), and lack of support from family or friends (OR = 7.0, 95% CI = 1.3-40.8) were significant risk factors. Sleep problems (OR = 6.0, 95% CI = 1.7-23.5) and lack of support from family or friends (OR = 27.6, 95% CI = 4.1-322.3) were associated with an increased risk of perinatal depressive symptoms at 3 weeks after childbirth. After returning to the workplace, perceived job strain (OR = 18.2, 95% CI = 2.2-435.7) was a significant risk factor. These findings could provide insight about early symptom detection, and more studies to clarify the association would be worthwhile.

Navigating Pregnancy for Employees in Civilian Rotary-Wing Aeromedicine.

INTRODUCTION: Women of child-bearing age make up an ever-increasing element of the aeromedical workforce in Australia and the UK. However, policy relating to the management of risk for pregnant employees in this sector is often missing or inadequate, with many women facing detrimental impacts on their career progression and financial well-being. For women who choose to continue flying, there is a lack of transparent guidance about the risks of flying within a helicopter in an aeromedical role. While grounding pregnant employees removes some risks, it is at the cost of autonomy and brings other adverse effects for the employee and employer. Updated reflections on this important topic will empower the audience to make informed discussions around pregnancy in aeromedical roles.TOPIC: Applying principles from literature surrounding commercial, military, and medical aviation, the risks to pregnant employees and the fetus are reviewed. These risks are complex and dynamic depending on gestation and underlying medical problems; thus, individualization of risk management is of key importance. In low-risk pregnancies, incapacitation risk is below the usual threshold adopted for safety-sensitive aviation activities. Based on available evidence we have quantified risks where possible and provide guidance on the relevant factors to consider in creating a holistic risk-management framework. The greatest unknown surrounds the risk from vibration, noise, and winching. These are reviewed and suggestions given for discussing this risk. We also highlight the need for policy providing acceptable nonflying options to remove the pressure to continue flying in pregnancy.APPLICATION: Based on a literature review we have generated a framework for understanding and assessing risk relating to pregnant employees in the aeromedical sector. This is intended for use by aeromedical organizations, pregnant employees, and their treating medical practitioners to provide rational and sensible policy and guidance.Storey HM, Austin J, Davies-White NL, Ransley DG, Hodkinson PD. Navigating pregnancy for employees in civilian rotary-wing aeromedicine. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2022; 93(12):866-876.