There have been urgent calls to allow all women who are more than 20 weeks pregnant to work from home during the coronavirus crisis as cases grow exponentially and the winter peak approaches.
The calls come at a time when a survey by campaign organisation ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ (PTS) has found that only 1% of 5,131 pregnant women surveyed, who normally work away from their homes, have been freed from their employment responsibilities during the second lockdown. This is a far cry from the situation during the first lockdown when PTS reported that 76% of pregnant women had been suspended from their usual employment activities.
As it stands, all employers in England are required to perform risk assessments for pregnant workers that account for the possibility of COVID-19 infection. If these assessments find that there is risk of infection, it must be removed or, failing that, the woman must be suspended on full pay or another role found. However, the survey found that only half of pregnant women who work outside of home have received a risk assessment.
Furthermore, it has been found that between 1 March and the end of September, there had not been a single case of the Health and Safety Executive initiating formal enforcement action against an employer for health and safety breaches in relation to pregnant women. The HSE has said that it has continued to issue guidance and released a statement in which it stated that its purpose was to protect employees, including “vulnerable workers” such as pregnant women.
One man who fully understands the need for improved action in light of the virus’s potential for tragedy is Ernest Boateng; his wife, Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, died in April at Bedfordshire’s Luton and Dunstable Hospital (her employer of five years) after being exposed to COVID-19 while working as a nurse. He has now called for the government to ensure that pregnant women are legally required to work from home once they reach week 20 of their pregnancy. He asked the government to do more to protect pregnant women and expressed his hope that his wife’s death would not be in vain. He has also written a letter to Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in which he cites French research detailing how pregnant women are five times as likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit after Week 20 of their pregnancy compared to those in the earlier stages. It also outlined how COVID-19 has been linked to a significant risk of preterm birth.
A report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) into Ms Agyapong’s death contained numerous criticisms of her care, including the timing of her discharge from hospital on 5 April and her re-admittance just two days later.
PTS’s founding member Joeli Brearley believes that the massive fall in the number of pregnant women being asked to work from home is attributable to the spiralling cost of furlough and the perilous state of the labour market. She said that pregnant women are being made to feel lucky to have a job so are “not daring to rock the boat”.
Other key takeaways from the survey include: