Predictors of the return to work for pregnant employees on preventive leave: Patients from an occupational medicine consultation in Switzerland.

According to the Swiss legislation on maternity protection in the workplace (OProMa), if pregnant workers are exposed to occupational hazards and no protective measures are taken, a gynecologist will prescribe a certificate of preventive leave and the women must stop working. Returning to work is only possible if job adjustments are made. This study aims to evaluate the burden of absences on companies and to examine the predictors of the return to work for pregnant workers on preventive leave, by examining both the probability of return to work and the time required to return to work. The study sample includes data on 258 workplaces of pregnant workers on preventive leave, collected during an occupational medicine consultation aimed at supporting the implementation of the OProMa. Information is available on the worker (age, date of consultation), the hazards to which she is exposed, the company's knowledge of the OProMa and whether a risk analysis exists. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis are carried out. In 58% of the workplaces, it was not possible to return to work before the end of the pregnancy. This corresponds to an average absence of 4.5 months. In 42% of the workplaces, a return to work was possible thanks to workplace adaptations. A conforming risk analysis and a full knowledge of the OProMa for companies, and an early visit to the occupational medicine consultation for workers are good predictors of the likelihood of returning to work. Younger age and exposure to certain types of risks are factors that influence the duration of preventive leave. The implementation of OProMa in Switzerland poses serious challenges, but early identification of occupational hazards and practices that anticipate compliance with the law in the company increase the return to work in safety for pregnant workers.

A narrative review on factors associated with job interruption during pregnancy.

Most women continue to work during pregnancy. However, some of them have to stop working before giving birth. Absence from work poses several challenges for employers and employees, as well as for society. The literature on absence from work during pregnancy and its determinants remains inconsistent and rather scarce. To conduct a narrative literature review on the factors associated with work interruption and on existing interventions aimed at reducing the absence prevalence during pregnancy. The review refers to published peer-reviewed articles dealing with all types of work interruption among pregnant women. Keyword searches were performed in the electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, covering the period 2000-2022. The review, which includes 42 papers, presents a broad and comprehensive picture of factors and interventions associated with absence from work among pregnant workers. The factors appear at different levels and include factors related to the pregnant women, such as individual health and socio-demographic factors; employer and workplace-related factors, such as risk exposures and working conditions; factors related to the role of the healthcare provider; and factors related to the national context (social benefits/insurance). The determinants of absence from work during pregnancy are complex and multifactorial and involve multiple stakeholders. The discussion addresses gaps and needs in the literature on pregnancy at work and in the field of occupational health. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(3):303-23.