What this is
What is a new and expectant mother assessment?
What is a new and expectant mother assessment?
It is an assessment used in KnowSafe that examines the workplace for a worker who is pregnant, has recently given birth or is breastfeeding. It is built against ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 and sits inside the Vulnerable and Temporary Workers programme.
When does it get triggered, and how often is it repeated?
It starts on notification of pregnancy and is reassessed as the pregnancy progresses — the Stage field distinguishes pregnant, recently given birth and breastfeeding, because each carries different hazards. A single assessment done at twelve weeks does not describe the same worker at thirty-two.
Why does it record adjustments rather than the medical reason behind them?
The form is designed to be handled privately: managers and colleagues need to know what has changed — reduced manual handling, an altered shift pattern, extra rest breaks — not the clinical detail behind it. Recording the reason invites it to leak into rotas and handover notes where it does not belong.
Scope
When is a new and expectant mother assessment required?
This assessment is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use this template when
- A worker has notified the business that they are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding
- The pregnancy has progressed to a new stage and the existing adjustments need to be checked against it
- A task, area or exposure the worker is assigned to has changed since the last assessment
- You are running the Vulnerable and Temporary Workers programme and this is one of its steps
- A linked record needs this one to exist — Restrictions or an Occupational health referral
Do not use it for
- Young Worker Risk Assessment, which assesses the additional risk to workers under eighteen, covering inexperience, awareness and prohibited tasks.
- Temporary and Agency Worker Review, which reviews whether agency and short-term workers receive the same induction, training and supervision as permanent staff.
- Language and Literacy Assessment, which assesses whether safety-critical information reaches people who do not read the site language fluently.
- Workplace Adjustment Record, which holds the standing adjustment once it is agreed, rather than the assessment that produced it.
- Return to Work Programme Plan, which manages the phased return after leave, not the workplace risk while the worker is still in post.
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 asks for hazards to be identified against the person doing the task, not just the task itself — this template is where that specific-to-the-individual assessment happens for pregnancy, recent birth and breastfeeding.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 | Identify hazards specific to the individual, not just the task | Task hazards |
| ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 | Assess risk against the worker's actual stage, reassessed as it changes | Header |
| ISO 45001 cl.5.4 | Consult the worker on the adjustments before they are finalised | Outcome |
| ISO 45001 cl.8.1.2 | Apply the hierarchy of controls — alternative duties and workwear before relying on PPE alone | Practical needs |
| ISO 45001 cl.7.4 | Share only what the team needs to operate around the adjustment | Outcome |
| ISO 45001 cl.10.2 | Raise a corrective action where a gap cannot be closed on the spot | Outcome |
| ISO 45001 cl.9.1 | Track review dates so the assessment does not go stale as the pregnancy progresses | Outcome |
What it does not cover
- Adjustments Agreed, which is free text and gets left as 'as discussed' when nobody wants to write down specifics.
- Alternative Workwear Provided, which stays No because ordering maternity workwear takes longer than the assessment cycle.
- Next Reassessment Due, which is set once at notification and never revisited as the stage changes.
- Facilities For Expressing And Storage, which gets marked Not needed by default rather than actually asked.
- Occupational Health Involved, which is marked Not needed to avoid the referral rather than because it genuinely isn't required.
Global
New and Expectant Mother Assessment requirements by country
Statutory duties toward pregnant and new mothers vary by where the site sits, and they are usually more specific than the management-system standard this template is built against.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg. 16–18
A specific, named duty to assess risk to new and expectant mothers, not a general risk assessment applied to everyone.
Where the hazard cannot be removed and alternative work is not available, the employer must suspend the worker on full pay rather than let the risk stand.
Directive 92/85/EEC — Pregnant Workers Directive
Sets the floor for member-state legislation on risk assessment, night work and maternity leave.
National transposition varies, so a multi-site EU operation cannot assume the UK reading of this assessment satisfies every site's local law.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, 2023
Requires reasonable accommodation for pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, closer to disability-accommodation law than to an OH&S risk assessment.
The same form has to double as an accommodation-request record on US sites, which is a different legal test to the UK's risk-based one.
How to complete it
How to complete a new and expectant mother assessment, step by step
The fields are simple to fill in. The judgement is in four places where two assessors would reasonably disagree.
Chemical, biological and vibration exposure are each scored across None/Low/Significant bands, and nothing in the form defines the line between Low and Significant. That line has to be set once, by whoever holds the underlying risk assessment, and then applied consistently rather than re-judged per case.
Occupational Health Involved scores well whether it is Yes or Not needed. Marking Not needed is defensible for a low-risk office role and indefensible for anyone with a Significant rating anywhere in Task hazards — the form will not stop you doing the latter.
Too little ('lighter duties') gives a supervisor nothing to act on six weeks later. Too much turns a practical instruction into a clinical narrative. The right level names the task changed and the limit applied, and nothing else.
Next Reassessment Due is a single date field with no rule tying it to Stage. An assessment done at twelve weeks and left until the statutory review cycle comes round will be badly out of date well before that date arrives.
What auditors find
Most common new and expectant mother assessment findings
The gaps that show up in audit are rarely missing fields — they are fields answered too quickly to be true.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Next Reassessment Due is set once, at notification, and never revisited as Stage changes from Pregnant to Recently given birth. | ISO 45001 cl.9.1 | Trigger a new reassessment automatically on a Stage change, not only on the calendar date. |
| Adjustments Agreed contains a diagnosis or symptom rather than an instruction a supervisor can act on. | ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 | Require the field to name a task, a limit and a duration; reject free text that only describes a condition. |
| PPE Still Fits is marked No with Alternative Workwear Provided left blank rather than marked No. | ISO 45001 cl.8.1.2 | Block Outcome sign-off until Alternative Workwear Provided carries an explicit answer. |
| Occupational Health Involved is marked Not needed despite a Significant rating recorded elsewhere in Task hazards. | ISO 45001 cl.5.4 | Force a referral prompt whenever any hazard field reads Significant or High. |
| Only Adjustments Shared With The Team is marked Yes without anyone checking what the line manager actually told the shift. | ISO 45001 cl.7.4 | Have the worker, not just the manager, confirm this line before the record closes. |
| Facilities For Expressing And Storage defaults to Not needed without being actively asked, on the assumption that Stage is Pregnant rather than Breastfeeding. | ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 | Require the field to be actively answered whenever Stage is Breastfeeding, rather than accepting a carried-over default. |
Case in point
Case in point: a chill-store assessment that stopped at week fourteen
A worker in a chill store notified her manager in week twelve. Manual Handling, Extreme Temperature and Prolonged Standing were all assessed, alternative duties were arranged in packing, and the record was marked Complete.
By week thirty, the alternative role in packing had quietly become full shifts of prolonged standing with no rest breaks logged, because nobody had reopened the assessment. The Next Reassessment Due date, set for six months out, still had two months left to run when the worker raised it herself.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
4 sections
- Reference
- SAF-151
- Archetype
- Assessment
- Record ID
- NEM-2026-000
- Scoring
- Adjustments in place
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- Yes
- Basis
- ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2
- Links
- Links Restrictions, Occupational health
- Tags
- Vulnerable, Maternity
- Sections
- 4
- Fields
- 47
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 4
Header
14 fieldsAssessment ID*
Auto sequence. Format NEM-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Area
The area within the site.
Exact Location
Drop a pin for anything hard to find.
Worker*
Person ID*
Format PER-0000.
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
Private, Practical And Repeated
Record what changed, not why. Reassess as the pregnancy progresses, because what is manageable at twelve weeks is not at thirty two.
Notification Date*
Stage*
Pregnant, recently given birth, or breastfeeding. Each carries different considerations.
Assessment Number
Task hazards
12 fieldsManual Handling*
- None3 pts
- Light2 pts
- Moderate1 pt
- Heavy0 pts
Prolonged Standing*
- No3 pts
- Some1 pt
- Significant0 pts
Awkward Postures Or Confined Workspace*
- No3 pts
- Some1 pt
- Significant0 pts
Chemical Exposure*
- None3 pts
- Low2 pts
- Significant0 pts
Biological Exposure*
Raw meat handling and effluent work carry specific risks in pregnancy.
- None3 pts
- Low2 pts
- Moderate1 pt
- High0 pts
Extreme Temperature*
- None3 pts
- Chilled1 pt
- Freezer or hot0 pts
Vibration Exposure*
- None3 pts
- Some1 pt
- Significant0 pts
Noise Exposure
- Below action level3 pts
- Above action level0 pts
Night Work Or Long Shifts*
- No3 pts
- Some1 pt
- Routine0 pts
Lone Working*
- No3 pts
- Some1 pt
- Routine0 pts
Working At Height*
- No3 pts
- Occasionally1 pt
- Routinely0 pts
Risk Of Being Struck Or Knocked*
- Low3 pts
- Moderate1 pt
- High0 pts
Practical needs
6 fieldsRest Facilities Available*
- Yes3 pts
- Limited1 pt
- No0 pts
Toilet Access Without Restriction*
- Yes3 pts
- Restricted0 pts
Somewhere To Sit When Needed*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
PPE Still Fits*
Standard workwear stops fitting, and people work without it rather than ask.
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Alternative Workwear Provided
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Facilities For Expressing And Storage
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed3 pts
- No0 pts
Outcome
15 fieldsAdjustments Agreed*
Alternative Duties Offered
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed3 pts
- No0 pts
Restriction Record ID
Links to HLT-017 Record ID
Occupational Health Involved*
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed3 pts
- No0 pts
Worker Content With Arrangements*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Only Adjustments Shared With The Team*
- Yes3 pts
- More was shared0 pts
Next Reassessment Due*
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Manager*
Signature*
Worker*
Second Signature*
SAF-151 · record IDs look like NEM-2026-000 · Links Restrictions, Occupational health
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The form is the easy part. Keeping it current as a pregnancy progresses, routing occupational health referrals and holding the evidence together privately is the work that actually slips.
Holds the new and expectant mother assessment against the site's task hazard register, and prompts a fresh reassessment whenever Stage changes rather than waiting for the calendar date.
Carries the occupational health referral and any restriction once it moves out of this assessment, so the clinical detail never has to sit on a record the wider team can see.
Tracks Restriction Record ID and CAPA references back to source, so an auditor can follow an adjustment from this assessment through to the register that makes it visible.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowSafe — safety and compliance. Incidents, hazards, permits, inspections and the critical controls behind them.
Meet KnowSafe→Glossary
New and Expectant Mother Assessment definitions and key terms
- Hierarchy of controls
- The order of preference for reducing risk — eliminate, substitute, engineer, isolate, administrative, PPE — used here to judge whether alternative duties or workwear address a hazard before PPE is relied on alone.
- Occupational health referral
- A formal handover to an occupational health professional for clinical input on fitness for a task, distinct from the manager's own risk judgement recorded on this form.
- Reasonable adjustment
- A change to a task, workplace or schedule that removes or reduces a risk without needing to justify the underlying medical reason on the record.
- Singleton record
- One live record per worker per pregnancy, maintained and reassessed in place, rather than a new record raised for every shift or event.
- Stage
- The point in the maternity timeline — pregnant, recently given birth, or breastfeeding — that determines which hazards apply and which practical needs the assessment should test.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about new and expectant mother assessment
Does this replace the general workplace risk assessment?+
No. It sits alongside it and adds the layer specific to pregnancy, recent birth or breastfeeding — the general assessment still covers the task for everyone else doing it.
Who should complete it if occupational health isn't available on site?+
The manager still completes the assessment; Occupational Health Involved can be marked Not needed for lower-risk roles, but that judgement should be documented, not assumed by default.
What happens if the worker disagrees with the adjustments offered?+
Worker Content With Arrangements exists precisely to surface that. A Partly or No answer should trigger a follow-up conversation, not just a lower score.
Does the form need to record why the assessment was raised?+
No — Notification Date and Stage are enough to establish the trigger. The reason belongs in occupational health's own records, not this one.
How does this link to a workplace adjustment record?+
Restriction Record ID links forward once adjustments are agreed, so the standing adjustment lives in its own record rather than being retyped at each reassessment.
Can the template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Vulnerable and Temporary Workers
Agency Labour Provider Assessment
Assesses an agency for how it screens, trains, inducts and supervises the people it sends
Return to Work Programme Plan
Sets out how the site brings people back to work after injury or illness, covering triggers, roles, timescales and the duties that are actually available
Young Worker Risk Assessment
Assesses the additional risk to workers under eighteen, covering inexperience, awareness and prohibited tasks
Temporary and Agency Worker Review
Reviews whether agency and short term workers receive the same induction, training and supervision as permanent staff
Language and Literacy Assessment
Assesses whether safety critical information reaches people who do not read the site language fluently
Workplace Adjustment Record
Records an adjustment made so somebody can do their job safely, whatever the underlying reason
More in Vulnerable Workers
Young Worker Risk Assessment
Assesses the additional risk to workers under eighteen, covering inexperience, awareness and prohibited tasks
Temporary and Agency Worker Review
Reviews whether agency and short term workers receive the same induction, training and supervision as permanent staff
Language and Literacy Assessment
Assesses whether safety critical information reaches people who do not read the site language fluently
Workplace Adjustment Record
Records an adjustment made so somebody can do their job safely, whatever the underlying reason
Vulnerable Worker Register
Holds the workers who currently need additional consideration, with the adjustment in place and its review date
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 45001 — Occupational health and safety management systems, cl.6.1.2
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (UK), reg. 16–18
- Directive 92/85/EEC — Pregnant Workers Directive (EU)
- Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (US), 2023
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.