Pregnant Employee Protection Program in a Large Chemical Company.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether a structured employee protection program for pregnant workers at a chemical company has an impact on pregnancy outcomes.


METHODS
Reported pregnancies (n = 1402) between 2003 and 2010 and their outcomes were documented using questionnaires at the time of pregnancy report, end of pregnancy, and 1 year later. Potential maternal exposures were assessed using job histories, workplace inspections, and questionnaires.


RESULTS
Participation was 86% overall and was consistently high across subgroups.Pregnancy losses (10.9%), pregnancy complications, and preterm births (8.1%) were in agreement with rates in the general population and were independent of type of work and maternal exposure category.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy complication rates in this chemical company are not statistically elevated than that in the general population, as suggested in a previous study. The protection program may play a role in preventing complications that may have occurred.
Occupational Medical and Health Protection Department (Dr Frey, Mr Schuster, Dr Oberlinner, and Dr Yong), Ludwigshafen; and Universitätsmedizin Mainz (Dr Queißer-Wahrendorf), Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Mainz, Germany.
Gunild
G
Frey
Michael
M
Schuster
Christoph
C
Oberlinner
Annette
A
Queier-Wahrendorf
Stefan
S
Lang
Mei
M
Yong
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002617:Chemical Industry; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016272:Occupational Health; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D017751:Safety Management; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult