For a Safe Maternity Experience Program
The objective of the For a Safe Maternity Experience Program (SMEP) is to allow a pregnant or breastfeeding worker to continue working when their work is physically dangerous for:
- her unborn child's health
- her breastfed child's health
- herself because of her pregnancy
Under this program, the worker may be assigned to another position or other duties that do not involve hazards and that she is reasonably able to perform. If reassignment is not possible, the worker may be entitled to preventive withdrawal.
Several people have a role to play so that the worker can work safely during her pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Find out about each person's roles:
- how to apply for a reassignment or preventive withdrawal if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- employer’s role in the reassignment or preventive withdrawal of a pregnant or breastfeeding worker (in French only)
- role of the professional who provides pregnancy follow-up or postnatal follow-up (in French only)
Eligibility requirements for the SMEP
- Be pregnant or be breastfeeding
- Be a worker within the meaning of the Loi sur la santé et la sécurité du travail
- Be exposed to the hazards identified in the Reassignment or preventive withdrawal certificate for a pregnant or breastfeeding worker
- Be fit to work
- Be available for a reassignment
- Have given the certificate to the employer
Who is not eligible for the program
- Self-employed worker whose company is not a legal person
- Worker employed outside Quebec, even if her place of residence is in Quebec
- Worker employed by an employer who does not have an establishment in Quebec
- Worker covered by the Kahnawà:ke Plan
- Worker employed by a company under federal jurisdiction (in French only)
- Person who works in a Government of Quebec or Government of Canada program and who is not considered a worker under the Loi sur la santé et la sécurité du travail
The CNESST determines the worker's eligibility for the For a Safe Maternity Experience Program.