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  • Manual Handling Claims

Manual Handling Claims

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‘Manual handling’ is a term given to transporting loads, including techniques such as lifting, putting items down, pushing, pulling or carrying. When this work isn’t carried out correctly injuries can occur, sometimes leading to long term damage.

Your employer has a duty to reduce your risk of injury at work, so should make sure that all manual handling tasks are performed safely. This should be done by providing you with the right training and equipment needed to do the job.

If you’ve been injured because health and safety guidelines weren’t followed by your employer, we could help you make a manual handling compensation claim.

With manual handling accidents accounting for 40% of all workplace accidents, our specialist solicitors have years of experience handling claims of this type and have the knowledge needed to get you the compensation you deserve.

By coming to us with your manual handling injury claim, you can be reassured that our lawyers will do all they can to make sure that your claim has the best chance possible of being successful. We have a proven track record with personal injury cases and have secured over £1 billion in compensation for our clients over the last two years.

Our manual handling solicitors could also accept your workplace accident claim on a No Win No Fee* basis, which means that you won’t have to pay any legal fees if your claim is unsuccessful.

To find out more about making a manual handling injury claim, call us free on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.


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Manual Handling Claims - More Information

After you’ve contacted us, we’ll set up a free initial consultation to discuss your case and whether you have a legal claim. We’ll discuss what funding options are available to you to pay for your claim, including No Win No Fee agreements*.

We’ll then get in touch with those responsible for your accident at an early stage to see if they accept the blame for your injuries. If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments which can fund private medical care and ongoing expenses, before your claim fully settles. Any interim payments will be taken out of your final compensation award.

Our lawyers will look into your case in detail, gathering evidence from independent medical professionals and health and safety specialists. These experts will analyse why your accident happened and can determine any future implications to your health. They’ll also advise us on the care you’ll need in the future.

We’ll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the claim process as short as we can. However, if your employer doesn’t accept responsibility or doesn’t agree with the amount of compensation we feel you need, we’ll start court proceedings.

Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim does need to go to court, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way, talking you through what will happen so you feel as comfortable as possible.

Read more about what happens if your case goes to court.

Compensation can make a real difference to your life, ensuring that you can access the healthcare and support to make the best recovery you can. By making a claim with us, we can get you funds which can help pay for:

  • Private healthcare treatment
  • Physiotherapy
  • Psychological therapy
  • Expenses (such as travel costs to hospital appointments)
  • Loss of income
  • Household adaptations

The amount of compensation you receive will depend on the severity of your injuries and the likelihood that you’ll make a full recovery. We’ll seek expert opinions on what care you’ll need to ensure that the compensation we claim will be sufficient.

If your employer accepts responsibility for your accident, we could help you get early compensation payments. Often known as interim payments, these funds will be taken from your final settlement and can help pay for ongoing care costs and expenses, before your claim has settled.


We could help you make a claim if you’ve been injured because of a manual handling accident in the workplace, whether you’re an employee, contractor, a member of the public or a visitor.

Even if you’re a casual worker or consider yourself to be self-employed, you might still be considered as an employee under UK law, giving you the same rights as other workers when it comes to health and safety.

If you’re an agency worker who has had an accident at work involving manual handling, both the agency you work for and the owners of the business should take responsibility for your safety. They should work together to make sure that precautions are in place to protect you.

We can also help with claims being made on behalf of others including:

  • On behalf of a child who has been in an accident before their 18th birthday
  • For someone who doesn’t have the mental capacity to handle their own case
  • On behalf of a loved one who has unfortunately passed away

If you’ve sadly lost a loved one in a manual handling accident, we can help you with:

  • Recovering compensation for their pain and suffering, to account for financial losses caused by their death and to cover funeral expenses
  • Representing you at inquest
  • Getting you the answers and apology you deserve from those responsible

Our lawyers could also help you access a statutory bereavement award, a flat rate of £15,120 which is provided when a wrongful death has occurred. This is available if you’re the spouse, civil partner or parent (if under 18) of the person who died.

You normally have three years to make a claim from the date of your accident. However, there are some exceptions to this rule:

  • Under 18s – you can claim on behalf of a child who was on work experience or working part-time. No time limits apply in these circumstances until the child turns 18. When the child turns 18 they can make their own claim but the three year time limit will then apply.
  • Mental capacity – you can make a claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the ability to do so themselves, including when someone has suffered a serious head/brain injury as a result of their accident. In these circumstances, no time limits apply.
  • Fatal claims – if you’re claiming on behalf of a loved one who died, you’ll either have three years from the date of their death or the date of the accident to make a claim.

If you have any concerns about the time limits for claiming compensation, we’ll be able to talk through your options in a free initial consultation.

Many of our cases are funded with a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.

At the start of your claim, we’ll discuss the funding options available, advising you which we think is the most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI), or can access support through trade union membership, these may be best for you. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household and car insurance policies, so it’s always worth checking whether you’re already covered.

If we think you’re best supported by a No Win No Fee agreement, we’ll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that will protect you, at no cost to you. You’ll only have to pay anything when your claim is successful – your opponent will pay most of our fees.

Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.

We have experienced solicitors based across the country who specialise in helping people to claim compensation after accidents at work. We know the issues that you and your loved ones may be facing, and we can answer all of your questions in plain English.

As well as helping you claim compensation, we can also help with your rehabilitation and recovery. If you can’t work because of your injuries, then we can also advise you on benefit entitlement and arrange for the best possible support to help you recover.

Having helped many other clients who were injured in manual handling accidents, we can use our experience to get a positive outcome for you and your family.

Meet the team

Client Jaxx Cave

I'm relieved that I can continue to improve my recovery by accessing specialist rehabilitation services which have helped me get this far."

Jaxx, client

Frequently Asked Questions

How Are Manual Handling Accidents Caused?

Our lawyers could help you make a compensation claim if you were injured because of problems with your:

  • Load – injuries can be caused if loads are too heavy, too big, if an item’s difficult to grasp, or if the load’s unbalanced/unstable or difficult to reach.
  • Task – when a task is too strenuous or involves lifting a load in an awkward posture, you should be advised against doing this work.
  • Environment – accidents are more likely if the surrounding area has slippery/unstable flooring, if you don’t have enough space, if conditions are too hot or too cold and if there isn’t a reasonable amount of light.
  • Individual circumstances – if you don’t feel that you have adequate experience, training or good enough health to carry out a task, you should inform your employer so they can provide training, modify the task or allocate it to someone else.

What Injuries Could I Claim For?

Injuries caused by manual handling are classed as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), a term which covers any injury, damage or disorder which causes harm to the joints or the tissue in your limbs or back. MSDs account for more than a third of all work-related injuries (statistics include MSDs caused by manual handling) and can cause excruciating pain.

We’ve previously helped a number of clients to claim compensation after they’ve been involved in manual handling accidents, with injuries including:

  • Back injuries
  • Injuries to arms and legs (including fractures and breaks)
  • Muscular injuries
  • Worsening existing medical conditions

By making a claim, you could get compensation to pay for rehabilitative treatment to make sure your injuries heal as well as possible. Our support and rehabilitation coordinators can help you access this care and support, using their contacts based across the UK.

For more information on how making a compensation claim could benefit you, contact our team today free on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online and we’ll get back to you.

What Regulations Should My Employer Have Followed?

Any employer who knows that their staff will be conducting manual handling as part of their role should follow the regulations set out as part of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (1992). This piece of legislation provides advice for activities including lifting, lowering...

... pushing, pulling and carrying. Your employer should make sure that these rules are followed and provide guidance and training in order to prevent lifting that’s too heavy, performed with an awkward posture and to stop existing injuries becoming worse.

Before allowing you to complete manual handling at work, your employer should always:

  • Consider the risks associated with the task
  • Check if you have any specific requirements (such as injuries and disabilities)
  • Assess any potential injury risks
  • Advise you on the correct processes for the task
  • Check if the risk of injury can be controlled (such as using conveyors, pallet trucks, hoists and lift trucks)
  • Consider whether moving the object/materials is necessary
  • Talk to you for your views on any potential hazards

Your employer should also regularly complete and update risk assessments to prove that the correct precautions are in place.

If you’ve been injured because health and safety regulations weren’t followed, we could help you make a claim. To find out more about how we could help, contact us today on 0800 056 4110.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Manual Handling Claims

Warehouse Accident Claims If you’ve been injured because you employer didn’t prevent warehouse hazards, we could help
Factory Accident Claims A variety of injuries can happen in factories when precautions aren’t followed
Construction Accident Claims Building sites are notoriously dangerous so we’re here to help if you’ve been injured due to your employer’s negligence
Employment Our team can offer advice and support to resolve any employment issues you might have

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

*To make a No Win No Fee claim, you need to enter into an agreement that's linked to a suitable insurance policy. We'll explain this in more detail before we start your claim.

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