Manual Handling - Work Accident Compensation Claims

Claim compensation for manual handling injury at work

According to HSE statistics manual handling has been recorded as being the cause of 40% of accidents at work.

Manual Handling is the cause of many accidents and injuries, not only back injuries as people may initially think. Manual handling also causes a variety of upper and lower limb and muscular injuries. It also causes exacerbation of pre existing conditions.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002 apply to all employers and cover all range of accidents and injuries at work and specify what an employer should do to prevent injury being caused by manual handling. They require employers to consider the whole task rather than just concentrating on the weight. This means that the burden on employers is very wide ranging. They still have to consider the weights involved in a manual handling task but for example they also have to consider the surrounding area and space available where the procedure is to be carried out and repetitive nature of the task where applicable. The regulations concentrate on risk reduction and risk minimisation.

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What is classed as manual handling when making an accident claim?

It concerns ‘any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force’ which as can be seen is extremely wide ranging.

In minimising the risk to an employee the employer has to firstly take all reasonable steps to avoid the manual handling task. If it is unavoidable then an employer has to assess the procedure to be used and in doing so take any appropriate steps to reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level possible. Whilst assessing the procedure the employer also has to take into account the individual employee's suitability for the procedure and any affect this may have on decisions made.

Each worker should be notified of any risks identified in the risk assessment.

As experts in dealing with claims for compensation in this area we regularly find that employers fail to provide suitable equipment, fail to organise the work appropriately, fail to provide adequate manpower or fail to provide proper training.

Manual handling case studies

Employer not provide with proper equipment

Our client was employed at a marble cutting works. He was not provided with proper manual handling equipment with which to transport pieces of marble to the cutting bed. As a result of this he had to push the pieces of marble from a lower level up on to the cutting bed and whilst he was doing so he sustained a disc protrusion for which he had surgery.

The claimant was able to return to work and subsequently settled his case for £20,000 in compensation.

Lifting injury due to inadequate manual handling training

A Sheffield woman received £4000 in compensation after a soft tissue injury to her neck. This was caused by the lifting of clinical waste bags in her job.

She received no specific training for this work, was never told not to carry waste bags over a certain weight and was not informed there was a trolley to aid her with the task.

Manual handling injury caused by lack of equipment

A man received £20,000 compensation after a manual handling injury caused by lifting heavy bags without the aid of a tail-lift.

As a result of this, Mr X had to change his job to one involving only light duties as he could not be involved in any lifting activities.

Click here to fill in our online enquiry form and receive free legal advice on your claim >

What we'll do for you as specialist manual handling solicitors

More than anything, we aim to keep things clear, simple and as straightforward as possible for our clients, so there’s no need for you to worry at any point about the legal complexities or technicalities of your manual handling claim. You’ll be kept informed throughout the claims process which, put simply, looks like this:

• Your free initial consultation gives us a clear understanding of your injury claim.
• If you have a case we assign our best legal team with the expertise to handle your claim.
• The legal team will investigate and build evidence to back up your case.
• We keep in touch with you throughout, so you’re always informed.
• Finally, with your approval, we arrive at the best compensation settlement possible.

Make contact with a solicitor as soon as you can

It’s important to speak to us as soon as possible about your manual handling related accident – time limitation periods apply and investigating your claim is often easier if you begin proceedings quickly. Your initial consultation with us is free, and we’ll tell you then whether or not your case is worth pursuing. If it is, we’ll carry out our investigation of the case free of charge too.

Can I make a compensation claim? Complete our personal injury claim form to see how we can help you.

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