If you are wondering what the most common manual handling injuries you can claim for are, this guide may be able to help you. It’s not always possible to claim for injuries sustained in the workplace. However, your employer owes you a duty of care to prevent you from becoming harmed at work or while carrying out work duties. If this is not fulfilled and you are injured as a result, this amounts to negligence, and you could start a personal injury claim.
What Are The Most Common Manual Handling Injuries You Can Claim For In The UK?
This guide will cover the accident at work claims eligibility criteria in more detail later on. Furthermore, key areas of the claims process will be explored, such as time limitations, the evidence you can gather to support your case and how compensation is valued for successful claims.
Additionally, the ways in which your employer could breach their duty of care and what injuries you could suffer as a result will also be examined.
Lastly, we will look at how a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel could help you with your case.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with our advisors. They can offer free advice pertaining to your potential claim. Also, if they find you have valid grounds to seek personal injury compensation, they could assign your case to a solicitor from our panel.
For more information, you can:
- Fill out our online enquiry form
- Call us on 0161 696 9685
- Use our live chat feature at the bottom of the page
Select A Section
- What Are The Most Common Manual Handling Injuries You Can Claim For In The UK?
- Who Could Claim For Manual Handling Injuries At Work?
- Causes Of Manual Handling Injuries At Work
- Estimating Payouts For Common Manual Handling Injuries
- Make A Manual Handling Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Further Manual Handling Injury Claim Resources
What Are The Most Common Manual Handling Injuries You Can Claim For In The UK?
There are several injuries that you could sustain when carrying out manual handling tasks in the workplace. For example:
- Strains and sprains, including soft tissue damage
- Lower back injuries
- Upper back injuries
- Hernias
- Hand, wrist or elbow injuries
- Foot injuries
However, it is not always possible to claim for an injury sustained in the workplace. If you would like to see whether you can claim after suffering a manual handling injury at work, please get in touch with an advisor from our team.
Who Could Claim For Manual Handling Injuries At Work?
The duty of care employers owe is established in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). It states that employers need to take reasonable and practicable steps to ensure the safety of the workplace, environment, equipment, and facilities to prevent employees from being injured.
Additionally, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 sets out an employer’s specific responsibilities with regard to manual handling activities in the workplace.
In order to begin a personal injury claim for manual handling injuries, you need to prove that your employer breached their duty of care and caused you harm as a result. This is negligence.
Limitation Periods On Manual Handling Accident Claims
As set out by the Limitation Act 1980, you typically have 3 years to start your personal injury claim from the date of your injury. There are some exceptions that could apply to this time limit for certain scenarios. If this is applicable to you, you may be afforded more time to start your claim.
If you would like more details regarding the time limits and eligibility criteria, get in touch with an advisor on the number above.
Causes Of Manual Handling Injuries At Work
There are many ways in which you could suffer a manual handling injury at work. Here are some examples:
- Your employer does not provide you with manual handling training when you start a job. Due to this, when you are asked to carry heavy materials, you use the improper technique and suffer a back injury.
- A risk assessment is not carried out when you are tasked with carrying objects across the office. Consequently, trip hazards are left unattended causing you to slip on a wet floor and sustain a wrist and head injury.
- Your employer asks you to lift materials that are too heavy. Due to this, you suffer a hand injury and a shoulder injury.
- You aren’t provided personal protective equipment, such as steel-toe boots. As a result, when moving heavy boxes that are difficult to hold, you sustain a broken foot after dropping the boxes.
To discuss your specific situation, please get in touch with an advisor from our team to learn whether you could claim. They can also discuss the most common manual handling injuries you can claim for, provided the eligibility criteria laid out above is met.
Estimating Payouts For Common Manual Handling Injuries
If your claim for an accident at work is successful, the payout you are awarded can comprise compensation from two seperate heads. Firstly, you will receive compensation for any pain and suffering that is caused by your injuries under general damages. This applies to both physical and mental injuries.
We have included a table of compensation amounts that have been taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is a document that is used by legal professionals when valuing claims. However, all cases are unique, which means these figures are not guaranteed.
Compensation Brackets
| Injury | Severity | Compensation Bracket | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Moderately Severe | £219,070 to £282,010 | Very serious disabilities that are either cognitive or physical and result in the need for constant care. |
| Hand | Moderate | £5,720 to £13,280 | Soft tissue type injuries. |
| Wrist | Less Severe | £12,590 to £24,500 | Permanent disability such as ongoing pain and stiffness as a result of less severe injuries. |
| Neck | Moderate (i) | £24,990 to £38,490 | Serious soft tissue injuries to the neck and back. |
| Back | Severe (iii) | £38,780 to £69,730 | Soft tissue injuries leading to chronic conditions. |
| Elbow | Severely Disabling | £39,170 to £54,830 | A severely disabling injury to the elbow. |
| Shoulder | Moderate | £7,890 to £12,770 | Frozen shoulder that limits movement and discomfort that lasts for around 2 years. |
| Foot | Modest | Up to £13,740 | Simple fractures causing ongoing issues such as a permanent limp, pain or aching. |
| Toe | Serious | £9,600 to £13,740 | Crush and multiple fractures of two or more toes. |
How Are Special Damages Calculated?
If you also encounter financial losses due to your injuries, you could receive compensation for these under special damages. This head of claim seeks to reimburse you for costs such as:
- Loss of earnings
- Care costs
- Medical expenses
- Travel costs
- Home adaptation costs
Evidence such as payslips and invoices can help prove these losses when you claim them back.
If you would like a personal estimate of how much compensation you could be entitled to, please contact our advisors.
Make A Manual Handling Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you are eligible to make an accident at work claim, you may consider entering into a type of No Win No Fee agreement with a solicitor from our panel. The kind of contract they can offer is known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This negates any payment for the services your solicitor provides upfront, throughout the duration of your claim or if your claim fails.
In cases where your claim is successful, you will pay a capped by law success fee that will be subtracted from the compensation you are awarded.
Ways To Contact Our Team
The advisors from our team can offer you a free consultation to determine whether or not you have a valid claim. If you do, they can set you up with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel. To get in touch:
- Fill out our online enquiry form
- Call us on 0161 696 9685
- Use our live chat feature at the bottom of the page
Further Manual Handling Injury Claim Resources
Here are some more of our own guides relating to accident at work claims:
- I got hurt at work – Do I need a lawyer?
- Office accident at work compensation claim
- Can I claim for an injury after receiving no workplace training?
We have also provided you with further reading, which may be beneficial:
- NHS- First Aid
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE)- Employer Responsibilities
- GOV- Statutory Sick Pay
Thank you for reading this guide on the most common manual handling injuries you can claim for. If you have any other questions, please get in touch using the contact details provided above.
Written by BP
Edited by MMI