The questions pregnant women ask about work are mostly about the wrong things. Photocopiers and computer screens are safe. Standing for eight hours is the one nobody asks about.
These are settled and not a concern:
- Photocopiers and printers. No evidence of risk at normal office levels. This worry dates from an era of different machines and hasn’t survived examination.
- Computer screens. A fear from the era of cathode-ray monitors, investigated thoroughly, and no association found. Modern screens emit nothing relevant.
- Microwaves, mobile phones and wifi. No.
- Airport security scanners. Fine.
If the worry is one of these, you can stop worrying about it. Saying so helps, because pregnancy anxiety attaches itself to whatever is nearby.
What warrants attention
- Prolonged standing. The most under-recognised one. Long periods on your feet in retail, food and beverage, teaching, nursing or hairdressing have been associated in several studies with preterm birth and lower birthweight. If your job involves standing all day, that’s a reasonable basis for requesting adjustments: a stool, more frequent breaks, or shorter shifts later in pregnancy.
- Heavy lifting and repetitive bending, particularly in the second half of pregnancy, where the risk includes injury as much as anything obstetric.
- Long hours and night shifts, which have been associated with poorer outcomes in some research.
- Heat. Kitchens, laundries and outdoor work. Raised core temperature is a genuine concern, especially early on.
- Chemical exposure: solvents, pesticides, some cleaning agents, and formaldehyde-based hair treatments in salons. Ventilation and gloves help, and some substances warrant reassignment.
- Healthcare and laboratory work: cytotoxic drugs, anaesthetic gases and certain radiation exposures have established handling protocols in pregnancy. Tell occupational health, who will know exactly what applies.
- Infection risk in childcare and healthcare. See below. This is the one most often overlooked.
If you work with young children
Childcare and primary teaching involve specific infection exposures that make a difference in pregnancy:
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV): very common in young children, usually harmless to them, and capable of affecting a baby if a mother is infected during pregnancy. Handwashing after nappy changes and after wiping noses, and not sharing food or utensils with children, are the practical measures.
- Slapped cheek disease (parvovirus B19): can affect a pregnancy, particularly in the first half. If there’s an outbreak at your workplace, tell your obstetrician.
- Chickenpox: if you aren’t immune and are exposed, contact your doctor the same day. There’s time-sensitive treatment.
- Rubella: check your immunity before conceiving, since the vaccine can’t be given during pregnancy.
None of this means leaving the job. It means knowing your immunity status and washing your hands a good deal more than usual.
Getting adjustments
- Tell your employer or HR, and ask whether there’s an occupational health service. Larger employers usually have one and they deal with this routinely.
- Be specific about what you need: a stool, a break every two hours, no lifting above a certain weight, reassignment from a particular task. Specific requests get answered; general concern doesn’t.
- Get a doctor’s letter if adjustments are being resisted. A brief note from your obstetrician stating the recommended limitation counts for a lot.
- Consider a flexible work arrangement request. Since December 2024 employees can formally request one, and the employer must properly consider it and reply in writing within two months.
- Put it in writing. Email a summary after any verbal conversation.
If it goes wrong
Dismissal on the ground of pregnancy is wrongful dismissal, and being pushed out instead of accommodated is a recognised pattern. Keep a written timeline from the day you announced. TAFEP handles discrimination complaints, TADM handles wrongful dismissal and salary claims, and MOM covers maternity entitlements. There are time limits, so don’t leave it until after the birth.
Work travel
- Weeks 14 to 27 is the window. Most airlines require a doctor’s letter from around 28 weeks and refuse carriage from around 36.
- Clots are the in-flight risk: compression stockings on anything over about four hours, walk hourly, drink far more water than usual.
- Check the destination for Zika and for whether required vaccinations are compatible with pregnancy.
- Check that travel insurance covers pregnancy at your gestation, and whether it covers a premature birth abroad. That’s the exposure that costs a fortune.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to use a photocopier while pregnant?
Yes. There’s no evidence of risk at normal office levels, and the concern dates from an era of different machines. The same applies to computer screens, microwaves, mobile phones, wifi and airport scanners: all investigated and none found to pose a risk.
What are the real workplace risks in pregnancy?
Prolonged standing, which has been associated with preterm birth and lower birthweight and is the most under-recognised; heavy lifting and repetitive bending; long hours and night shifts; heat; chemical exposure including solvents and salon treatments; and specific hazards in healthcare and laboratory work.
I stand all day at work. Should I do something about it?
Yes, and it’s a reasonable basis for requesting adjustments: a stool, more frequent breaks, or shorter shifts later in pregnancy. Ask for something specific, not something general, and get a brief letter from your obstetrician if the request is resisted.
Is working in childcare risky while pregnant?
It comes with specific infection exposures you should know about: cytomegalovirus, slapped cheek disease, chickenpox and rubella. The practical measures are knowing your immunity status, washing hands after nappy changes and nose-wiping, and not sharing food or utensils with children. It doesn’t mean leaving the job.
How do I ask for adjustments?
Tell HR or occupational health, be specific about what you need, get a doctor’s letter if there’s resistance, and consider a formal flexible work arrangement request, which since December 2024 your employer must consider properly and answer in writing within two months. Put everything in writing.
Can I travel for work while pregnant?
Weeks 14 to 27 is the window, since most airlines need a doctor’s letter from 28 weeks and refuse carriage from around 36. Wear compression stockings on longer flights, walk hourly, and check both the destination advisories and whether your insurance covers pregnancy at your gestation.
What to remember
Photocopiers and screens are fine. Stop worrying about those.
Standing all day is the one that matters and the one nobody asks about. Ask for a stool and more breaks.
If you work with young children, know your rubella and chickenpox immunity and wash your hands after every nappy.
Ask for specific adjustments in writing, and get a doctor’s letter if you meet resistance.
Read next
- Fired or pushed out while pregnant: what protection you’ve
- Travelling while pregnant
- Vaccinations to sort before you conceive
This article is general information and not a substitute for medical or legal advice. Speak to your doctor and to your employer’s occupational health service about your own situation.