Maternity Risk Assessments Made Simple: A Practical Guide for Busy Business People
Supporting pregnant workers, new mothers and breastfeeding employees should not feel like another complicated task on an already full to-do list.
For a busy business owner, office manager, operations manager, facilities manager or person responsible for health and safety, maternity arrangements can feel particularly difficult. You want to support the employee properly, protect their health and meet your responsibilities but you may be unsure what to assess, what questions to ask or what changes might be needed.
During World Breastfeeding Week, 1–7 August 2026, we are looking at how employers can make maternity risk assessments practical, supportive and easier to manage.
When is an individual maternity risk assessment required?
Employers must consider risks to women of childbearing age as part of their general workplace risk assessment.
An individual risk assessment must also be completed when an employee informs their employer in writing that they:
Are pregnant
Are breastfeeding
Have given birth within the previous six months
The six-month period relates to having recently given birth. It does not mean that breastfeeding support or risk considerations end after six months. Relevant risks should continue to be considered for as long as the employee wishes to breastfeed.
The assessment should reflect the employee’s actual work, workplace and individual circumstances. A generic form copied from another business is unlikely to tell you everything you need to know.
Start with a calm conversation
A maternity risk assessment is not simply a form to complete and file away.
Begin by speaking privately with the employee. Ask whether they have any concerns about their work and discuss any recommendations provided by their doctor or midwife.
This conversation may feel sensitive, particularly if you have not managed a pregnancy or return from maternity leave before. You do not need to know every answer immediately. Listening, recording the concerns raised and agreeing what will happen next is a good place to start.
What should you consider?
The risks will depend on the employee’s role and working environment. Even an office-based job can require adjustments.
Common areas to consider include:
Sitting or standing for long periods
Lifting or carrying items
Workstation posture and comfort
Long working hours, shifts or night work
Mental and physical fatigue
Work-related stress
Workplace temperature and noise
Lone working or travelling for work
Exposure to chemicals, biological agents or other harmful substances
Not every employee will be affected in the same way. Pregnancy, recovery after birth and breastfeeding can affect people differently, which is why the assessment must be individual.
The aim is not to remove the employee from their role unnecessarily. It is to identify sensible changes that allow them to continue working safely wherever possible.
What happens when a significant risk is identified?
Finding a risk does not automatically mean the employee must stop working.
There is a clear order for employers to follow:
1. Adjust the work or working hours
This might include changing working hours, introducing more frequent breaks, adjusting duties, reducing lifting, providing additional support or improving the workstation.
2. Offer suitable alternative work
Where the risk cannot be controlled through adjustments, suitable alternative work may need to be offered. It should be appropriate and offered on the same terms and conditions, including pay.
3. Consider paid suspension
Where the person has employee status and neither adjustments nor suitable alternative work can provide a safe solution, suspension on full pay may be required for as long as necessary to protect the employee and their child. Different rules may apply to workers, agency workers and self-employed people, so specialist employment advice may sometimes be needed.
Suspension should therefore be the last step, not the first response.
Supporting breastfeeding employees at work
Breastfeeding should be included in the individual assessment and return-to-work conversation.
Employers must provide a suitable area where pregnant workers and breastfeeding mothers can rest. The area should:
Include somewhere to lie down if necessary
Be hygienic and private if the employee wishes to express milk
Include somewhere suitable to store expressed milk, such as a fridge
A toilet is not considered a suitable place for expressing breast milk.
In many workplaces, suitable arrangements can be created without major expense. A private room, comfortable chair, access to drinking water and appropriate milk storage may be enough. The important point is to discuss what the employee needs rather than making assumptions.
Do not complete it once and forget about it
Pregnancy and post-birth needs can change.
The individual assessment should be reviewed:
As the pregnancy progresses
When the employee’s health or needs change
If their duties, hours or workplace change
Before or when they return from maternity leave
While relevant breastfeeding risks continue
If a medical recommendation is received
The findings should be recorded, shared with the employee and supported by clear actions. Each action should have someone responsible for completing it and an agreed review date.
A simple maternity risk assessment check
Ask yourself:
Have we received written notification?
Have we spoken privately with the employee?
Have we considered their actual role and working conditions?
Have we taken account of medical recommendations?
Have we agreed and recorded any adjustments?
Are suitable rest and breastfeeding facilities available?
Have we set a date to review the arrangements?
If one or more answers are unclear, your process may need some attention.
You do not have to manage it alone
When health and safety is only one part of your role, it can be difficult to find the time and confidence to manage maternity arrangements properly.
Your Company Works can provide a calm and experienced guiding hand. We can help you:
Understand what needs to be assessed
Complete or review an individual maternity risk assessment
Identify practical and proportionate adjustments
Record clear actions and responsibilities
Review the arrangements when circumstances change
Put a straightforward process in place for the future
We remove the unnecessary jargon and help turn your responsibilities into a clear, workable plan leaving you more time to run your business and support your team.
Not sure whether your maternity arrangements are suitable?
Book a free 20-minute online chat with Your Company Works. We can help clarify what falls within health and safety and what your next practical step should be.
Paula Santomauro
Telephone: 07799 533094
Email: paula@yourcompanyworks.com
This article provides general health and safety information. Employment status, medical recommendations and individual circumstances may affect the action required.