In this guide, we explore how manual handling claims solicitors could help you. We also discuss who could be eligible to start this type of personal injury claim with a solicitor and provide some examples of the steps you could take to build and strengthen your case.
How Could Manual Handling Claims Solicitors Help You Receive Compensation?
In order to seek compensation for a personal injury sustained at work, it needs to be proven that employer negligence occurred. This can mean your employer has breached the duty of care they owed you and caused you to sustain psychological or physical harm, or both, as a result. As we move through this guide, we will look at the different responsibilities your employer has and the legislation that outlines their duty of care.
Additionally, we will discuss accident at work compensation payouts, including what they can comprise and how they might be calculated.
To conclude, we explain an overview of No Win No Fee agreements and the benefits of working with a solicitor who offers their services in this way.
If you have any other questions relating to your potential work injury claim, you can get in touch with an advisor. To contact them, you can:
- Call us on 0113 460 1216
- Find out about making a claim online
- Use the live chat feature below.
Select A Section
- How Could Manual Handling Claims Solicitors Help You Seek Compensation?
- When Are You Able To Claim For A Manual Handling Injury?
- What Evidence Could Help You In The Personal Injury Claim Process?
- Examples Of How Employer Negligence Could Cause Manual Handling Injuries
- Potential Compensation From An Accident At Work
- Our Panel Of Specialised No Win No Fee Manual Handling Claims Solicitors Can Help You Claim
- Learn More About Manual Handling Claims
How Could Manual Handling Claims Solicitors Help You Seek Compensation?
Manual handling claims solicitors can benefit you and your claim in many ways. You may wonder whether you need to work with a local solicitor but this is not the case as you can communicate with your solicitor via letter, email and telephone, rather than having to meet face to face. As such, you can focus on finding a solicitor who has the relevant experience to represent your case.
If you choose to work with a solicitor from our panel, they can use their experience in handling personal injury claims for workplace injuries to assist you through the process of seeking compensation. Additionally, they can offer their services nationwide. Some of the ways they could help include:
- Building and presenting your claim
- Collecting evidence to support your case
- Updating you on the progress of your claim
- Valuing your personal injury settlement
- Helping you understand complex legal jargon
To find out whether you have a valid claim and could be represented by a solicitor from our panel, please speak with an advisor by calling on the number above.
When Are You Able To Claim For A Manual Handling Injury?
To start a valid personal injury claim for manual handling injuries sustained in an accident at work, you will need to show that:
- Your employer owed you a duty of care
- They breached this duty
- This caused you physical and/or psychological injury.
Employers owe a duty of care, which is established in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), to their employees. HASAWA states that they must take reasonably practicable steps to prevent employees from suffering harm in the workplace or as they work.
Additionally, more specific details on the responsibilities employers have in relation to workplace manual handling tasks can be found in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. This piece of legislation outlines the need for employers to avoid any manual handling tasks, where possible. If they cannot, they must carry out a risk assessment and take steps to reduce the risk of injury posed by any manual handling related activities. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), some of the steps they can take to reduce or remove the risk of a manual handling injury at work include:
- Providing proper training on manual handling techniques, such as how to lift safely
- Adapting the workspace, such as removing any trip hazards to reduce the risk of a trip or fall when moving objects from one place to another
- Adjusting the load to make it smaller, lighter or easier to hold
If there has been a failure on your employer’s part to uphold their duty of care, and you experienced harm as a result, get in touch with our team to learn whether you could have a valid personal injury claim.
What Evidence Could Help You In The Personal Injury Claim Process?
You may wonder what evidence for a personal injury claim you could collect and how it could help to support your case. Evidence can help prove employer negligence as well as offer an insight into the injuries you have sustained as a result and the impact they have had on your life.
There are several ways you could gather evidence to support your case. For example, you could:
- Request CCTV footage of the accident.
- Keep a personal diary detailing medical treatments needed for your injuries as well as your psychological and physical state.
- Acquire copies of your medical records, such as prescriptions or X-rays.
- Take photographs of your injuries and any hazards that caused or contributed to the accident.
- Gather the contact details for any witnesses that could provide a statement at a later date.
Manual handling claims solicitors can assist you in building and strengthening your case. To find out whether a solicitor from our panel could represent your claim and assist you through the personal injury claims process, please speak with an advisor on the number above.
Examples Of How Employer Negligence Could Cause Manual Handling Injuries
Below, we offer some examples of manual handling injuries that could be sustained in the workplace and how they could occur:
- An employee could damage a disc in their back or sustain a soft tissue injury in their shoulder after being instructed to carry out manual handling tasks without the proper training.
- An item could be dropped causing a broken foot because the employee did not carry out a risk assessment to determine whether personal protective equipment, such as steel-toe capped boots, was needed.
- An employee could sustain a broken arm injury in a slip, trip or fall when moving objects across a warehouse due to obstructions that weren’t cleared out the way beforehand.
You may not always be eligible to seek compensation following a manual handling accident that has occurred in the workplace. However, if you have been injured because of your employer not upholding the duty of care they owed you, please speak with an advisor on the number above.
Potential Compensation From An Accident At Work
A personal injury settlement awarded following a successful claim could consist of up to two heads of claim. The first, general damages, compensate for the physical pain and emotional suffering that you have experienced as a result of the injuries you sustained.
To value this head of claim, legal professionals can refer to a document called the Judicial College Guidelines. This contains guideline award amounts that correspond to different injuries. Below, we have provided a table that contains some of these figures.
However, you should only use them as a guide because they are not an exact representation of the award you could receive should your claim be successful.
Compensation Table
| Injury | Severity | Award Bracket - Guidelines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | (b) Serious Damage To Both Hands | £55,820 to £84,570 | Injuries that cause permanent cosmetic disability and function loss that is significant. |
| Back | (a) Severe (iii) | £38,780 to £69,730 | This bracket covers cases of chronic conditions that result from soft tissue injuries. |
| Back | (b) Moderate (i) | £27,760 to £38,780 | Injuries in this bracket include a prolapsed intervertebral disc requiring surgery. |
| Neck | (a) Severe (iii) | £45,470 to £55,990 | Cases in this bracket include severe damage to the soft tissues. |
| Neck | (b) Moderate (i) | £24,990 to £38,490 | Cases where the person has suffered serious soft tissue injuries to the neck and back. |
| Wrist | (b) Significant Permanent Disability | £24,500 to £39,170 | There is a permanent disability of a significant nature but some useful movement remains. |
| Arm | (c) Less Severe | £19,200 to £39,170 | A substantial degree of recovery will have occurred already or be expected, despite significant disabilities. |
| Elbow | (b) Less Severe | £15,650 to £32,010 | Impaired function from an injury but no surgery is required and there is no significant disability. |
| Foot | (g) Modest | Up to £13,740 | Injuries, such as simple metatarsal fractures with ongoing symptoms such as a permanent limp, pain or aching. |
| Shoulder | (c) Moderate | £7,890 to £12,770 | More than minimal symptoms from soft tissue injuries that continue after two years but are not permanent. |
Claiming For Financial Losses After A Workplace Accident
Special damages compensate for the financial losses that you have incurred because of your injuries, such as:
- Loss of earnings from being left unable to work
- The cost of medical treatments and prescriptions
- Paying for essential adaptations to your home or vehicle
- Domestic care costs
- Travel expenses
It can benefit your claim to provide evidence of these losses. This can include wage slips, receipts and paid invoices which show the incurred costs.
For further guidance on accident at work compensation, please contact an advisor by calling the number above. They can offer a free valuation of your claim and provide a personalised estimate of what you could potentially be awarded for a successful personal injury claim.
Our Panel Of Specialised No Win No Fee Manual Handling Claims Solicitors Can Help You Claim
The manual handling claims solicitors from our panel can offer their services, such as building your case and valuing your claim, in a No Win No Fee capacity. They can offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) which typically means that you could access their services without needing to pay upfront, as your claim progresses or if your claim fails.
If your claim has a successful outcome, your solicitor can take a percentage of your compensation. This is called a success fee. However, the amount your solicitor can take is restricted by the law. As such, you can keep the majority of your settlement.
To learn more about the possibility of working with a solicitor from our panel and the ways they can help you, please speak with an advisor. To reach them, you can:
- Call us for free on 0113 460 1216
- Find out about making a claim online
- Use our live chat feature.
Learn More About Manual Handling Claims
For more of our helpful guides:
- How Do I Claim For A Warehouse Accident At Work?
- Factory Accident Claims Guide
- When Can You Make Workplace Manual Handling Compensation Claims?
For more helpful resources:
Thank you for reading our guide on how manual handling claims solicitors could help you seek compensation following an accident at work. If you have any other questions, please speak with an advisor on the number above.
Writer Jeff Wallow
Editor Meg McConnell