PERSONAL INJURY & ACCIDENT COMPENSATION

Back Injury Claims

Each year, thousands of workers injure themselves undertaking manual handling at work.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) apply to a wide range of manual handling activity, such as lifting and carrying.

Over one third of ‘over three day injuries’ reported to the Health & Safety Executive and local authorities involve manual handling.

The regulations require employers to:

AVOID the need for hazardous manual handling, as far as is reasonably practicable.

ASSESS the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided – and -

REDUCE the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling as far as is reasonably practicable.

Employees have a role to play too.  They should follow appropriate systems, make proper use of equipment, co-operate with their employer on Health & Safety matters and of course, take care to ensure their activities do not put others at risk.

The Health & Safety Executive publish a short guide called ‘Getting to Grips with Manual Handling’.  It contains all the technical details you will ever need to know on manual handling.  Go to www.hse.go.uk/pubns.

The Royal College of Nursing also produce ‘The RCN Code of Practice for Patient Handling’.  Go to www.rcn.org.uk/publications.

Amazingly, some employers have no knowledge of their obligations to train staff involved in manual handling.  Even if you have received manual handling training and have still suffered a personal injury through lifting – you should seek legal help.

If you have suffered a back injury, should injury or arm/wrist injury and want some clear legal advice, ring us now on free phone 0800 169 3683.  We offer fast friendly help.  We offer 100% compensation.  No deductions – you keep all the compensation.  Never deal with a firm that deducts any of your compensation.  You are entitled to every penny.

The Norwich Union report that fifty percent of all serious accidents occurring in nursing and residential care homes (Reporting of Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 ‘RIDDOR) are due to manual handling.

Some seventy percent of these involve moving patients.

Assessments should be made even where handling aids, such as lifts, hoists and wheelchairs are available.  Of course, all staff should be fully trained and be conversant with the use of all types of equipment they may be using.  Similarly, where equipment dictates that two staff should operate the handling aids, then staff should not be expected to operate the equipment alone.

Employers should consider all factors, namely – task, load, working environment and individual capacity.

Employers who ignore manual handling training lay themselves open to personal injury compensation claims

Whether you have a back, should or neck injury caused by workplace manual handling, please telephone us n free phone 0800 169 3683.  We can give you immediate advice on how to proceed.

Manual handling is such an integral part of all workplace situations, whether you are carrying heavy boxes of components, or lifting and stacking building material (inanimate loads), you can be exposed to injury.  Your employer has a legal duty to ensure that you have received the correct manual handling training.  Often, we deal with back injuries caused when our client has had to lift (an animate load), carry and move another individual, for example, in a hospital or care home.  Heavy manual labour can involve lifting in confined situations, over-stretching due to lack of correct equipment, irregular shape, size and ease of grip, frequency and duration of lifting, capability of the individual (size, age, sex, previous injury), lifting to and from height and carrying items over rough terrain or up/down stairs to name a few.  For example, the advice given on the manual handling of sacks provides that:

• sack weights are as low as reasonable practicable (ideally 25 kg or less) and no more than 32 kg unless two-person lifting is used;
• that only one sack is carried at once;
• sacks can be easily handled (eg sack material not slippery);
• the frequency and duration of sack lifting is within the control of the worker;
• job rotation is used where possible to minimise the time any one person spends sack handling;
• adequate rest periods are provided;
• sacks are handled at a comfortable working height (between waist and thigh if possible, unless carried on the shoulder) and not picked up or put down on the floor;
• sacks are not stacked above shoulder height;
• sacks are not carried excessive distances or up/down stairs;
• there is adequate space to manoeuvre in the work area;
• lifting is not carried out while standing on loose pallets etc;
• training is given in correct lifting techniques and the dangers of not lifting correctly;
• supervision is sufficient to ensure manual handling risks are minimised.

Remember, manual handling injuries can also be caused by pushing, pulling, using body force, dragging and holding items at an unreasonable height or position.