Breast feeding can be dangerous
If you’re a nursing mum, breast feeding can be painful, especially once the little darlings start developing teeth, not to mention the ability to grab things. There are also more indirect consequences, such as when you’ve been woken so many times in the night to feed a hungry baby that you end up putting the car keys in the microwave in a sleep deprived haze.
It can also be dangerous if you’re an employer, and you fail to do a risk assessment for breast feeding employees returning to work.
Again, I’m sure you think I’m joking, but I’m not, as a hospital recently found out when it failed to carry out a risk assessment for a nurse returning to work after a period of maternity leave.
Most employers I meet, want to get it right. It’s rare that a problem arises due to a deliberate attempt to avoid the law. Mostly it’s lack of information, which can be as dangerous as a lack of sleep.
If you’re an employer and you’d like to have a better understanding of your rights and obligations in respect of your staff, particularly those returning from maternity or paternity leave, drop me a line and we’ll find time for a catch up at a time when we’re both wide awake.
Kleyman & Co Solicitors. The full service law firm. Helping you avoid crying over spilt milk.