Health and safety: paragraph 14
Effect
700.Paragraph 14 provides that it is not unlawful for a person to discriminate against a pregnant woman by refusing to provide her with a service or only providing the service to her on certain conditions if he or she reasonably believes that to do otherwise would create a risk to her health or safety and he or she would take similar measures in respect of persons with other physical conditions.
Background
701.Provisions making it unlawful for a person to discriminate against a pregnant woman in the provision of services were introduced into the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Amendment) Regulations 2008. Those provisions contained an equivalent exception on health and safety grounds.
Examples
A leisure centre could refuse to allow a pregnant woman to use certain gym equipment (for example, a rowing machine) after a certain point in her pregnancy if it reasonably believed that allowing her to use the equipment would create a risk to her health and safety and it would also refuse, for example, to allow a man with a serious heart condition to use the equipment.
An airline could refuse to allow a pregnant woman to travel beyond her 35th week of pregnancy if it reasonably believed that allowing her to travel would create a risk to her health and safety and it would also refuse people with other physical conditions that affect their health and safety to travel.