Risk for the new or expectant mother working in the perioperative environment

Being pregnant is not an illness, and in the National Health Service, where the majority of the workforce are female, pregnancy should be regarded as part of everyday life. Yet the workplace can damage your health, and that of an unborn child, through hazardous substances such as chemicals, radiation, and anaesthetic gases; through work which involves moving and handling of loads; through stress, excessive hours or shift work; and for perioperative practitioners, through standing for long periods of time (Rogers et al 1999).