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Protecting pregnant workers and new mothers: employers

5. Night work

Pregnant workers and new mothers can work nights, provided the work involved presents no risk to the health and safety of them or their child.

However, you should offer suitable alternative day work, on the same terms and conditions, when:

  • your worker's individual risk assessment has identified a risk from night work
  • their doctor or midwife has provided a medical certificate stating they should not work nights

If it is not possible to provide alternative day work, you must suspend them from work on paid leave for as long as necessary. This is to protect their health and safety and that of their child.

View a printable version of the whole guide[9]

Link URLs in this page

  1. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/index.htm
  2. Risk assessment for pregnant workers and new mothershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/risk-assessment.htm
  3. Common riskshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/common-risks.htm
  4. Rest and breastfeeding at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/rest-breastfeeding-at-work.htm
  5. Workplace safety lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/workplace-safety-law.htm
  6. More advice on pregnant workers and new mothershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/resources.htm
  7. Previous page Rest and breastfeeding at work https://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/rest-breastfeeding-at-work.htm
  8. Next page Workplace safety lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/workplace-safety-law.htm
  9. View a printable version of the whole guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/print.htm
  10. Pregnant workers and new mothers: your health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/worker/index.htm
  11. Managing risks and risk assessment at work https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm
  12. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm
  13. Working safely with leadhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lead/index.htm
  14. Infections at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/infection.htm
  15. Radiationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/radiation/index.htm
  16. Work-related stresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm

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