Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2003 18:57:27 -0400
Reply-To: Mary Baldwin <baldwin**At_Symbol_Here**VAX2.CONCORDIA.CA>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: Mary Baldwin <baldwin**At_Symbol_Here**VAX2.CONCORDIA.CA>
Subject: Re: -Pregnancy Policies in academic labs
In Quebec, the Health and Safety legislation has a provision for protective
reassignment of pregnant or nursing workers, which is administered by the
CSST (workers compensation), and is invoked when the pregnant worker
provides a medical certificate to the employer that the working conditions
present a risk to the fetus (although this may be after the critical early
period). This covers those employed by the university, and has been used on
numerous occasions by technical staff in various departments in science and
fine arts. However this provision of the legislation does not apply to
students. Within our Dept of Chemistry and Biochemistry there is a
Departmental policy regarding labs and pregnant students which evolved over
time to accommodate pregnant students, the spirit of the legislation, and
academic requirements, and was put in writing in 1996. This policy is
reviewed with the teaching assistants and lab demonstrators at their
orientation session each semester. Students are informed at the start of
each semester, and various options have been developed, depending on the
lab work and situation involved. This has worked satisfactorily to date,
and we have had quite a few pregnant students pass through our programmes.

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