MASARYK UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Economics and Administration, Lipová 41a, 602 00 Brno
___________________________________________________________________________
1/3
Elaborated by: Mgr. Dejan Tošič, OHSA competent person, Certificate No.: ROVS/3098/PRE/2013
WORKING CONDITIONS FOR WOMEN
Permissible weights of loads which can be handled manually
___________________________________________________________________________
The Government Decree No. 361/2007 Coll., setting the conditions of health safety at work,
stipulates the permissible weights of loads which can be lifted and carried by women, and safe
working conditions for handling of loads by women.
The weight limitations and safe working conditions for lifting and carrying of loads by pregnant
women, nursing women and mothers within the period up to the end of the ninth month after
giving birth, are stipulated by the Decree No. 180/2015 Coll., defining works and workplaces
prohibited to pregnant women, nursing women and mothers within the period up to the end of
the ninth month after giving birth..
Permissible weights of loads which can be carried manually by women
__________________________________________________________________________
The maximum permissible weight of loads which can be lifted and carried manually by
a woman, is 20 kg for occasional handling, and 15 kg for frequent handling. The maximum
permissible cumulative weight of loads which can be lifted and carried manually by a woman
is 6,500 kg per eight-hour shift. The maximum permissible weight of a load which can be
handled manually by a woman while seated, is 3 kg.
Occasional lifting and carrying of loads mean operations of lifting and carrying of loads
performed irregularly within a period not exceeding a total of 30 minutes per eight-hour shift.
Frequent lifting and carrying of loads mean operations of lifting and carrying of loads
performed within a period exceeding a total of 30 minutes per eight-hour shift.
The load handling when standing or seated shall be organized in such a way that the operations
are evenly distributed throughout the duration of a working shift.
Permissible maximum weights of loads which can be handled by pregnant and nursing
women and mothers within the period up to the end of the ninth month after giving
birth
___________________________________________________________________________
Pregnant women and mothers within the period up to the end of the ninth month after giving
birth are prohibited to manually handle loads heavier than 10 kg for occasional handling,
or 5 kg for frequent handling of loads.
In the case of manual handling of loads while seated, associated with frequent lifting or moving
of loads, the weight of the load must not exceed 2 kg.
MASARYK UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Economics and Administration, Lipová 41a, 602 00 Brno
___________________________________________________________________________
2/3
Elaborated by: Mgr. Dejan Tošič, OHSA competent person, Certificate No.: ROVS/3098/PRE/2013
Works and workplaces prohibited to pregnant and nursing women and mothers within
the period up to the end of the ninth month after giving birth
___________________________________________________________________________
Pregnant women are prohibited to carry out following works:
- hazardous works, except for works classified as hazardous because of the factor of
“psychological stress” according to the criterion of night work,,
- works associated with manual handling of a load whose weight exceeds 10 kg for occasional
handling, or 5 kg for frequent handling,
- works performed while seated involving frequent lifting or moving of a load heavier than
2 kg,
- works requiring the worker to assume a posture with the body in a deep forward bend,
kneeling, squatting, lying down, standing on tiptoes, working with hands above shoulder
height, with the torso rotated or inclined by more than 10 degrees in repetitive work,
- works associated with pressure applied to the abdomen,
- working while standing or seated with a predominance of static working position without
possibility of changing the body posture,
- working at a forced pace,
- works possibly exposing them to mechanical shocks,
- working at height above 1.5 m, working on unguarded surfaces above open pits with a depth
exceeding 1.5 m, or on a continuous surface inclined from a horizontal plane by 10 degrees
or more.
Works and workplaces prohibited to nursing women:
- works associated with occupational exposure to chemicals or chemical mixtures labelled
with standardised risk phrases (R-phrases) or standardised hazard statements (H-statements),
causing acute or chronic poisoning with severe or irreversible adverse health effects,
- works involving the use of chemicals or chemical mixtures harmful to infants by way of
breastfeeding, labelled with standardised phrases R 64 or H362,
- works involving the use of chemicals or chemical mixtures toxic to reproduction and
adversely affecting fertility, labelled with R-phrases R60 or R62 or with combinations
thereof, or with H-statements H360, H360F, H360FD, H360Fd, H360Df, H361, H361f or
H361fd.
Mothers within the period up to the end of the ninth month after giving birth are
prohibited from following works and workplaces:
- hazardous works, works associated with occupational exposure to vibrations, or hazardous
works performed under heat or cold stress,
MASARYK UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Economics and Administration, Lipová 41a, 602 00 Brno
___________________________________________________________________________
3/3
Elaborated by: Mgr. Dejan Tošič, OHSA competent person, Certificate No.: ROVS/3098/PRE/2013
- works associated with manual handling of a load whose weight exceeds 10 kg for occasional
handling, or 5 kg for frequent handling,
- works performed while seated involving frequent lifting or moving of a load heavier than
2 kg,
- works where the body of the worker assumes a position of deep forward bend, kneeling,
squatting, lying down, standing on tiptoe, with hands above shoulder height, with the torso
rotating or inclined by more than 10 degrees in the case of repetitive work,
- works associated with pressure applied to the abdomen,
- working while standing or seated with a predominance of static working position without
possibility of changing the body posture,
- working at a forced pace,
- works possibly exposing them to mechanical shocks,
- works at height above 1.5 m, works in unguarded surface above open pits with a depth
exceeding 1.5 m, or on a continuous surface inclined from a horizontal plane by 10 degrees
or more,
If a pregnant woman carries out work that is prohibited to pregnant women or which, according
to a medical assessment, could threaten her pregnancy, the employer is obliged to temporarily
transfer her to a workplace that is suitable for her and in which she will earn the same salary
she was receiving at her previous position..
If a pregnant woman asks to be transferred from night shifts work to daytime work, the
employer is obliged to comply with her requirement.
Compiled on: 21/1/2008 Approved by:
Updated on: 11/8/2015 prof. Ing. Antonín Slaný, CSc.
Dean of the Faculty