As an employer, you are responsible for carrying out an individual risk assessment of the work environment at the workplace, if there are one or more known or suspected risk factors specified in the provisions on pregnant, newly delivered and breastfeeding employees. You must carry out the risk assessment as soon as the employee has told you about her pregnancy.

Risk assessments are part of the systematic work environment management, for which you as an employer are responsible. In the risk assessment, take into account that pregnant and breastfeeding women can be more sensitive than other people, with particular emphasis on factors that can be harmful to fetuses and breastfeeding children.

In order to achieve a good work environment for pregnant and breastfeeding employees, it is important that they themselves participate in the investigations and risk assessments that apply to their own work situation. It is also important that the employee provides the information needed for appropriate measures to be implemented. As far as possible, the employee concerned should be allowed to decide which people should be involved.

Preventive measures to enable pregnant women to remain at work

Many studies show that gainful employment during pregnancy is positive for health. It is therefore important that the pregnant employee can remain in her job as long as possible during the pregnancy.

Prevent the risks in three steps

As an employer, in the first instance you must work on preventive work environment measures to remove the risks for the pregnant employee. If your risk assessment shows that there are risks of harmful effects on the pregnancy, you must prevent the risks in three steps.

Step 1: Modify the work environment to remove harmful exposure

As an employer, you must primarily make changes in the work environment, so that the harmful exposure ceases. It is important to perform all improvement measures that can reasonably be implemented. This could be, for example, taking measures against air pollution by replacing a hazardous substance with a less dangerous one, or using lifting aids.

It could also be to change the work content, for example to exclude certain work stages for the pregnant woman or to implement other temporary changes in the work environment. It could also be temporary changes to working hours or work organisation, for example, to reduce exposure to various risk factors. At each workplace, the employer must find dedicated solutions adapted to the situation in question, in order to create a work environment without risks.

Step 2: If the risks cannot be removed – assign other tasks that are free of risk

If it is not possible to remove the harmful exposure, you as an employer must give the pregnant employee other tasks that are risk-free. In some contexts, this is also called relocation.

Check out all the possibilities for giving the pregnant employee other tasks. If this is not possible, you may no longer engage someone who is pregnant, has recently given birth or is breastfeeding in work - that is to say, the work is prohibited.

Step 3: Leave and pregnancy allowance from the Social Insurance Agency

If you, as an employer, come to the conclusion that you cannot make changes in the work environment or enable the pregnant employee to perform other tasks, then she must not remain at work as long as the risks remain. You must then document the reasons why you have not been able to remove the risks in the work environment or assign the pregnant woman other tasks.

It is important that you, as an employer, continuously test the possibilities of making improvements in the work environment and take every opportunity to assign the pregnant employee other tasks, even if it is initially not possible to take measures to improve the work environment or assign the pregnant employee other tasks. This is so that the pregnant woman can return to work if possible.

It is you, as an employer, who signs the statement on the prohibition of continued work due to risks in the work environment, which can then give the pregnant employee compensation from the Social Insurance Agency (known as pregnancy benefit).

Complete the documentation for compensation in pregnancy

Even if the employee has been examined by expert help from occupational health services or an occupational and environmental medicine clinic, you as an employer must complete the documentation for compensation in pregnancy. The local Social Insurance Agency decides whether pregnancy benefit can be granted.

The issue of compensation to a pregnant employee during necessary leave is regulated in the Social Insurance Code.

The self-employed are also entitled to pregnancy benefit

Self-employed workers who cannot remedy work environment risks are also covered by the right to pregnancy benefit. The Social Insurance Agency decides whether pregnancy benefit can be granted. Since there is no employer, for a decision on pregnancy benefit to be made, you as a self-employed person instead need a certificate from an expert at an occupational and environmental medicine clinic that the work entails an unacceptable risk.

The employer is responsible for the risks that may exist for pregnant and breastfeeding employees

As an employer, you are responsible for reducing the risks for pregnant and breastfeeding employees, just as you are responsible for all aspects of the work environment. You must be familiar with the Work Environment Act and other work environment regulations.

Employees and safety representatives are important for a good work environment

Employees and safety representatives have an important role in work environment management. As an employer, you must give all employees the opportunity to participate in work environment management. For example, you can let employees suggest measures or provide feedback on measures you have implemented.

Employees' participation in work environment management

As an employee, you must participate in work environment management and participate in implementing the measures needed to achieve a good work environment. You must follow the employer's instructions. You must also report to your employer or your safety representative if the work involves immediate and serious danger to life or health.