The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was taken into effect on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Pregnancy has been a significant challenge faced by women in the construction industry.
From Safetyandhealthmagazine.com:
Under the law – set to go into effect June 27 – all employers with at least 15 employees will be required to extend to pregnant workers “reasonable accommodations.” These can include a chair or stool to sit on, additional bathroom breaks, and limits on how much they can lift.
Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, calls the legislation’s passing “a historic victory.”
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act closes a loophole in the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which required employers to provide accommodations for workers only to the extent that their work restrictions caused them to be “disabled” according to the meaning within the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
“Pregnant women should not fear losing their jobs,” said Marjorie Del Toro, CEO of the California-based environmental health and safety compliance group ehs International and the OSHA Alliance co-chair for the National Association of Women in Construction. “Losing a job or medical coverage can be devastating.”
