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Pregnant Employees

Pregnant Employees

In the interests of their own health and safety and that of their unborn/nursing child, all pregnant and breastfeeding employees and postgraduate students are strongly encouraged to report their pregnancy/breastfeeding to their Head Of School/Unit Manager or to the (opens in a new window)University SIRC Office directly as early as possible. This is so that a Pregnant Employee Risk Assessment can be carried out to ensure that the working conditions of the employee, or postgraduate student, do not pose a risk to her or her unborn / nursing child’s health and safety.

This assessment will be carried out by either a UCD SIRC Office personnel or an external consultant. In the event that a pregnant employee or postgraduate student's working conditions are deemed to pose a risk, either to her or her unborn or breastfeeding child’s safety, then the University will take all necessary steps to eliminate or minimise that risk. 

Pregnant and breastfeeding employees and postgraduate students should not work with hazardous agents (biological, chemical, or radioactive) until a Pregnant Employee Risk Assessment has been carried out and it has been deemed safe to do so.

To arrange a risk assessment, or to discuss further, contact the UCD SIRC Office either by email at (opens in a new window)sirc@ucd.ie or by phone at 01 - 716 8771.

Further information relating to UCD's maternity leave procedures and requirements is available on the UCD HR website.

Persons are encouraged to get a Covid-19 vaccine to protect them from the virus. If you are pregnant, being vaccinated will reduce the chance of you becoming very unwell from Covid-19 and reduce the chance of complications for your baby. For further information, visit (opens in a new window)HSE. 

As there is some emerging concern around Covid-19 and the risks it poses to pregnant persons post 28 weeks gestation / in their final trimester of pregnancy, pregnant persons should seek further advice from their GP or midwife in relation to their pregnancy and the risks from Covid-19. If your GP or midwife have any matters of concern regarding your pregnancy, Covid-19 and your work in UCD, please contact the (opens in a new window)SIRC Office to arrange a risk assessment.

The university provides travel and personal accident insurance cover for staff and postgraduate students who are travelling abroad on behalf of the University. Further information on travel insurance and notification requirements and travel updates including for pregnant women are available under UCD Travel Insurance.

For further advice contact (opens in a new window)UCD SIRC Office.

Further Information and Relevant Documents

For further details, or to arrange a risk assessment, contact UCD SIRC Office either by email at (opens in a new window)sirc@ucd.ie or phone: 01 - 716 8771.

Contact UCD SIRC Office

University SIRC Office, Roebuck Castle, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 8771 | E: sirc@ucd.ie