Workplace: Office
In the area of office and computer workstations, there is no general prohibition of employment for pregnant women. Investigations into the electrical and magnetic fields of display screen equipment have not been able to show any connection to health problems or dangers. Nevertheless, the employer must adapt the workplace of pregnant women in cooperation with the company physician. This includes, for example, appropriate break regulations, no night work (20:00-06:00 hours), no overtime or work on Sundays and public holidays. Pregnant women may work a maximum of 8.5 hours per day, underage women only 8 hours.
Occupation in the care of the elderly
Pregnant women working in geriatric care are exposed to particular health risks. Thus not only nursing activities pose a high risk of infection, but also lifting patients or simply dealing with confused patients can endanger the health of the expectant mother and her child. For example, there is a risk that a patient will kick the pregnant woman or cause her to fall due to her walking insecurity. The employer is therefore legally obliged to find a suitable “substitute workplace”. This could be in administration, for example.
Employment ban due to too much stress
Stress can also be a reason for an individual employment ban during pregnancy. It has been proven that physical and mental stress of the expectant mother has a negative effect on the health of the unborn child. About 10% of the maternal stress hormone cortisol enters the fetal circulation.
Stress during pregnancy can trigger premature labor and thus premature or even miscarriage. It has been proven that maternal stress during pregnancy also has an effect on the newborn child after birth. Children whose mothers were under a lot of stress during pregnancy often suffer from depression, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. This makes it all the more important for doctors to protect the mother from too much stress. For a ban on employment to be imposed, the dangerous stress must be demonstrably caused, or at least increased, by employment.
