# pregnant - 4 flights of stairs in work



## sandrat (7 Apr 2008)

A friend of mine is into her last trimester of pregnancy. She works in a building with no lift. She has to go up 4 flights of 15 steps each to get to work. The bathroom is located on floor below her and the canteen is the floor above her. Needless to say she is finding this very tiring and doesn't think she can continue as she gets bigger. Going on sick leave isn't an option because she can't afford it. She has requested a proper chair to support her back and a footrest for under her desk but has been denied this due to budget constraints. There is no chance of them locating her to the ground floor. Is there anything she can do?


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## Purple (7 Apr 2008)

A proper chair etc should be provided but she can't expect a lift to be put in.
What would she like to happen?


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## sandrat (8 Apr 2008)

I think she was hoping there was something that could be done like moving her to another office (she works for a bank) or avoiding meetings in the canteen. What can she do about getting the chair? At the moment they havent even given her a proper desk she is moved around from desk to desk because they don't really have a place for her. They moved her out of the branch (ground floor) because she would have to stand a lot and carry money so it wasn't suitable so she is kind of in limbo. It is really getting her down I was wondering if she had any rights. She isnt getting treated very well by her bosses at the moment and they are even making her take annual leave to attend her consultant. I am just a bit worried about her really and was hoping I could help in some way.


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## shipibo (8 Apr 2008)

Purple said:


> A proper chair etc should be provided but she can't expect a lift to be put in.
> What would she like to happen?



Purple, always the gentlemen


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## shipibo (8 Apr 2008)

sandrat said:


> She isnt getting treated very well by her bosses at the moment and they are even making her take annual leave to attend her consultant. I am just a bit worried about her really and was hoping I could help in some way.




Is she contract , parttime ??? , if fulltime, time in job ....


Can she contact Union rep in her job and ask for advice, maybe suggest to employers she is feeling unwell due to unneccesary strain of working in old building, and will document this in letter to Manager of Branch / Divisional Manager


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## sandrat (8 Apr 2008)

permanent full time. But she has been out sick for a while before coming back and being put on 4th floor.


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## PatriciaFox (8 Apr 2008)

It seems the bank has taken her off the floor (carrying coin, money etc) which is good, She probably needs to contact HR/Facilities about a chair.

Pregnant women are hardier than thought - not all want different treatment. As my sister said - I'm pregnant, not sick (while picking up a bag of soil)


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## sandrat (8 Apr 2008)

she filled in a request for the chair (health and safety form for pregnancy or something like that) and it was refused due to budget. She has been pretty hardy but has been getting bad back and hip pain which might be related to all those stairs. Also she is carrying very high into her ribs so she gets out of breath easily. I have visions of her passing out half way up the stairs.


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## sam h (8 Apr 2008)

Don't mean to be rude, but are you - your friend?? You have had a load of posts about pregancy & maternity leave in the last while.

Regardless, you/she is entitled to a proper chair/footrest & I reckon most banks could stretch to that egardless of budget constraints.

They can't/shouldn't put in a lift (having a Purple moment!).

If you/she needs to go on sick leave, then surely health is the more prevailent criteria, rather than can it be "afforded".

4 flights of stairs is alot first thing in the morning, particularly in 3rd trimester, but a flight up & down during the day should be managable - if not, have a chat with the doctor.

best of luck with the baby!


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## sandrat (8 Apr 2008)

nope its not me though I am pregnant! My own boss has started throwing days off at me for ante natal appointments and is even talking about moving me downstairs for my last week (i work on the first floor and have 10 days left until maternity leave!!!) cos I get a little out breath towards the top of the stairs. I think being the size of a house helps. I reckon personally if I had to go up and down the stairs every time I need to visit the bathroom I'd be fairly wrecked by the end of the day. It is bad enough waddling to the end of the corridor once (if not twice or three times) an hour for toilet breaks. She has just come back off sick leave because she will get paid nothing if she continues it and won't get paid for maternity leave either if she takes any more sick leave. I think she is kind of afraid to say anything in work for fear of the reaction.


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## Bronte (8 Apr 2008)

I've never heard of a special chair for pregnancy, I assembled two boxes of photocopy paper as a footrest. Don't know why but I had constant pain when walking with my second pregnancy especially towards the end, and I worked up to 4 days before birth, but I'm of the opinion that excercise is especially good when you're pregnant, sitting down all day is not good, I also live in a house with 3 flights of stairs (no bathroom on the main living level, and had to deal with a child of under 2 at the time). I'm not being unsympathetic but your friend has to make the choice going on sick leave, asking for meetings not to be held in the canteen (can't see the problem with this in any case) or grinning and bearing it.


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## Ceist Beag (8 Apr 2008)

sandrat said:


> permanent full time. But she has been out sick for a while before coming back and being put on 4th floor.



She works for a bank and due to budget constraints they can't afford a new chair? I wouldn't accept that - unless of course the bank is Bear Sterns!  I'm no HR expert but I think she is legally entitled to a chair that isn't uncomfortable for her to sit in - has she approached HR in the bank? 



sandrat said:


> won't get paid for maternity leave either if she takes any more sick leave. I think she is kind of afraid to say anything in work for fear of the reaction.


Again I'm no HR expert but this sounds to me like bullying and I would think they haven't a leg to stand on if they try and enforce this. I think personally she should take more sick leave if she cannot continue at work in the current circumstances but it might be better if she gets some independent advice from a HR legal expert.


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## annR (8 Apr 2008)

Exercise is good for pregnant women, but passing out on the stairs is not good.  For her own safety she should take a break or sit down between flights or something just to get her breath back. It will take her a bit longer but she will be in less danger of getting light headed.

They should get her a proper chair alright - actually I thought everyone should have a proper chair if they have a desk job shouldn't they?  I doubt they'll bother about this, sounds like a disgrace to me to be honest - I thought most office workers had proper office swivel chairs at this stage which should be adjustable and therefore fine for pregnant women too.

I suspect it's the attitude towards her which is getting her down more than anything else.  She should go to her doctor and talk to the people in the hospital as well.  They will tell her her rights.  Does her company have an Occupational Health person?


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## Purple (8 Apr 2008)

crumdub12 said:


> Purple, always the gentlemen



Thanks


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## Diziet (8 Apr 2008)

Has your friend talked to HR? For a start this 'won't be entitled to maternity leave if she takes sick leave' is very suspect as I cannot see how it would apply.

She need to look at the maternity leave policy asap and see her doctor regarding the health issues. 

Antenatal appointments never get taken out of holiday time. She needs these holiday days reinstated asap (HR again).

If she is working in a bank, the should have an HR section - she needs to make an appointment and talk to them.


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## annR (8 Apr 2008)

Diziet, you've misquoted Sandrat.  She didn't say  'won't be entitled to maternity leave if she takes sick leave' , she said



> won't get paid for maternity leave either


 
She is of course entitled to maternity leave by law.  I'm not sure whether the employer is obliged to pay her anything while on maternity leave, but if she has enough PRSI worked up she will get statutory maternity pay.


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## Flax (8 Apr 2008)

If I understand correctly, working on the 4th floor is a new thing for her? She (pre-pregnancy) used to work on a lower floor?


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## Brianne (8 Apr 2008)

Your friend is entitled to attend ante-natal appointments without taking annual leave. Is there an occupational health physician or nurse in the bank that she can attend and to whom she can talk about her back and the stairs?
If not she needs to get her own doctor to write asking about same and asking that she be provided with the chair for Health , Safety and Welfare reasons. Equally if she works for a bank there is bound to be a Health and Safety Officer there to whom she could write enclosing a copy of her doctor's recommendations. It is usually not enough to just ask for a special chair as a lot of these large organizations are very bureaucratic and do not want to set precedent without a written reason.However under H/S regs the onus is on the employer to make the  workplace safe for all employees so a chair should not be a big problem. 
Now the stairs is different . If the employer can, they should, if possible, move her to an office that is more suitable . They may be able to do this easily, but she is not suffering from an illness nor is she disabled. Granted, four flights of stairs first thing is hard, but for the rest of the day, if she is a woman with normal health , exercising up and down stairs six or seven times daily would just be considered good for her. She can go on maternity leave at 30 weeks as far as I know and if she is very large she may have no choice. Sitting down and minding yourself is not the way to ensure a healthy pregnancy; exercise and keeping a firm eye on her weight would be much more beneficial. If she is having health problems as in raised blood pressure etc then she needs to go on sick leave for her own and the baby's sake.


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## sandrat (8 Apr 2008)

Flax said:


> If I understand correctly, working on the 4th floor is a new thing for her? She (pre-pregnancy) used to work on a lower floor?


 
Correct she used to work on ground floor before pregnancy.

She has had a better day today. I told her to take her time and not feel rushed and if she needed to sit down between flights to do it. I wouldnt fancy seeing her trying to get out during a fire drill. She isnt carrying much weight in fact she has lost weight so far in the pregnancy (like myself) the pregnancy diet is going to be the next big thing.


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## Flax (9 Apr 2008)

That seems a bit unfair so.

I agree she should take as long as possible going up the stairs.


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## Diziet (9 Apr 2008)

annR said:


> Diziet, you've misquoted Sandrat.  She didn't say  'won't be entitled to maternity leave if she takes sick leave' , she said
> 
> <>
> 
> She is of course entitled to maternity leave by law.  I'm not sure whether the employer is obliged to pay her anything while on maternity leave, but if she has enough PRSI worked up she will get statutory maternity pay.



annR, you are right, she is of course entitled to leave. What I meant is that her employer has a maternity policy, which she should read. I doubt her sick leave will affect her payments, so she needs to check the policy and be clear of her entitlements and challenge any wrong information she was given..


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## Stephenkelly (9 Apr 2008)

Why doesn't she go into work a little bit earlier in the morning and take as long as she needs to climbe the staiers, she can take as many breaks or rests as she needs. I'm sure the pain in her back and hip is due to the fact that she is pregers and not that she has to climbe stairs
As said earlier one or two flights of stairs should be manageable during the day - after all what would she do at home if she needed to pop up stairs a couple of times a day!! 
I agree that the bank should buy her a chair and a foot rest but they seem to have been quite accomadating already taking her out of the branch - she has to be a little giving too, just because she's pregnant doesn't mean she should get everything she wants.


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## Black Sheep (9 Apr 2008)

I suggest she apply for Health & Safety Benefit

Health & Safety Benefit is a weekly payment (€197.80) for women who are granted health & safety leave under the Maternity Protection Act, 1994.

Health & Safety leave is granted to an employee when the employer cannot remore a risk to her health or safety during her pregnancy


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## annR (9 Apr 2008)

> I'm sure the pain in her back and hip is due to the fact that she is pregers and not that she has to climbe stairs


 
We know that, but the question is, should she be climbing the 4 flights while pregnant, out of breath and suffering back and hip pain?  How can she do it safely?  Resting and going slowly seem to be helping.



> she has to be a little giving too, just because she's pregnant doesn't mean she should get everything she wants.


 
I think that's being a little harsh on a heavily pregnant lady who is trying to look after her health.  Do you think she's being selfish as your post implies?


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## Henny Penny (9 Apr 2008)

This may sound harsh but if this woman is genuinely unfit for work why is she at work? If she is as you say 'heavily pregnant' why doesn't she take her maternity leave? She can take 26 weeks of leave ... but only 4 weeks of this leave is mandated to be after the birth of the baby. If she is so uncomfortable who is she fooling by continuing to work ... maternity leave is there for both the mother and baby's benefit ...


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## Joe1234 (10 Apr 2008)

Stephenkelly said:


> Why doesn't she go into work a little bit earlier in the morning and take as long as she needs to climbe the staiers



She shouldn't have to go to work earlier.


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## aircobra19 (10 Apr 2008)

Take the maternity leave early and take some (unpaid) parental leave at the other end.


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## Stephenkelly (10 Apr 2008)

Joe1234 said:


> She shouldn't have to go to work earlier.


 

Well if she is going to be late cecause she is struggling with the stairs it's only reasonable that she goes in 5 or ten minures early so she can take the stairs in her own time and comfort and and be at her on time for work! As the earlier posts said - if she's having such a  problem she should take her maternity leave now. She should hardly expect an easy ride when she's so heavely pregnant!


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## shipibo (10 Apr 2008)

Stephenkelly said:


> Why doesn't she go into work a little bit earlier in the morning and take as long as she needs to climbe the staiers, she can take as many breaks or rests as she needs. I'm sure the pain in her back and hip is due to the fact that she is pregers and not that she has to climbe stairs
> As said earlier one or two flights of stairs should be manageable during the day - after all what would she do at home if she needed to pop up stairs a couple of times a day!!
> I agree that the bank should buy her a chair and a foot rest but they seem to have been quite accomadating already taking her out of the branch - she has to be a little giving too, just because she's pregnant doesn't mean she should get everything she wants.


 
You can,t be serious, your just trolling


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## shipibo (10 Apr 2008)

Henny Penny said:


> This may sound harsh but if this woman is genuinely unfit for work why is she at work? If she is as you say 'heavily pregnant' why doesn't she take her maternity leave? She can take 26 weeks of leave ... but only 4 weeks of this leave is mandated to be after the birth of the baby. If she is so uncomfortable who is she fooling by continuing to work ... maternity leave is there for both the mother and baby's benefit ...


 
Who said she was unfit, the woman is finding it a struggle. OP asked for relevant advice on how to deal with this


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## Complainer (10 Apr 2008)

sandrat said:


> I wouldnt fancy seeing her trying to get out during a fire drill.


You might be onto something here. She should raise this issue with Health & Safety, as there are very specific obligations on the building manager under Fire Safety legislation to ensure that safe evacuation plan is in place for all building users. 


annR said:


> For her own safety she should take a break or sit down between flights or something just to get her breath back.


You might be onto something here. Long 'getting my breath back' breaks in a position that block other users from using the stairs during morning/evening rush hour could speed up a solution.


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## Stephenkelly (11 Apr 2008)

Complainer said:


> You might be onto something here. She should raise this issue with Health & Safety, as there are very specific obligations on the building manager under Fire Safety legislation to ensure that safe evacuation plan is in place for all building users.
> 
> You might be onto something here. Long 'getting my breath back' breaks in a position that block other users from using the stairs during morning/evening rush hour could speed up a solution.


 
She's pregnant not disabled - I'm sure if dhe contacts HR or Health and safety and causes a stir with her manager she will be causing more trouble for herself in the long run!


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## Complainer (11 Apr 2008)

Stephenkelly said:


> She's pregnant not disabled - I'm sure if dhe contacts HR or Health and safety and causes a stir with her manager she will be causing more trouble for herself in the long run!


I never mentioned anything about being disabled. However, if she is physically unable to descend the stairs promptly, she is a risk to herself and to others that she may be blocking in case of an emergency evacuation.

I thought the days of having to keep your head down about genuine safety concerns in case of causing 'a stir with her manager' were long gone. In my experience, it is often the people who have the gumption to 'cause a stir' who find themselves in management positions next time round.


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