Occupational hazards for pregnant and breastfeeding female physicians and dissection assistants working in forensic medicine: Remarks on the risk assessment

Background: Forensic medicine is a field in which pregnant and breastfeeding women may be exposed to biological, chemical, physical, and psychological hazards in the performance of professional duties. Experience shows that an assessment of these hazards often causes difficulties and, moreover that no uniform recommendations exist for this purpose. The aim of the present work is to identify hazards to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their children in forensic pathology, clinical forensic medicine and experimental research and to develop recommendations for dealing with these hazards.Methods: The hazards relevant to maternity protection that occur in the everyday working lives of physicians and dissection technicians working in forensic medicine were systematically recorded and assessed with the aid of the available scientific literature in an interdisciplinary team (forensic medicine, occupational medicine).Results and discussion: The transmission of bacterial and viral infections during autopsies or physical examinations can be avoided by abstaining from activities with the potential to cause injury and by taking consistent protective measures. If the occupational exposure limit is observed, handling of formalin-fixed tissue and, if necessary, certain other chemicals, is also possible in principle. According to the Maternity Protection Act, pregnant women must not be expected to move heavy loads (regularly > 5 kg), to stand for long periods with little movement (> 4 h daily), or to work at night.Conclusion: Due to the variety of activities and the possible effects on pregnant women/nursing mothers, a structured general and individual risk assessment is required as a basis for the availability of protective measures up to a possibly necessary ban on employment. General prohibitions of activities such as a ban on autopsies or laboratory work or a blanket ban on physical examinations cannot be derived from the legal requirements.