Lifting Accidents at Work

If you have been injured while carrying out heavy lifting at work due to the negligence of your employer, Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors can help you to claim compensation. Our specialist team is on hand to guide you throughout the claims process, helping you to get your life back on track following a manual handling injury.

Our team - based in Manchester city centre - has helped hundreds of clients who have been involved in lifting accidents at their place of work. We will do our utmost to help you every step of the way throughout legal proceedings with our friendly and knowledgeable approach.

We understand the impact that a workplace injury can have on your life, including your future career prospects, and will do our utmost to help you rebuild your life at this distressing time. By taking on as much of the responsibility for your claim as possible, we will give you more time to focus on your recovery.

How we work

Our solicitors have many years of experience in handling accidents at work claims, meaning we are well placed to help you to claim the compensation you deserve. We understand the disruption that such an incident can have on your life, including time off work, costly medical bills and rehabilitation to aid your recovery.

Compensation will help to cover the cost of these disruptions, while holding those responsible for your injury to account. This can help to highlight and reduce the risk of injury at your workplace, and thereby prevent other people from suffering in similar incidents in the future.

We have a great deal of expertise in handling cases involving the following types of manual handling accidents:

• Stacking shelves
• Carrying files in the office
• Unloading a delivery
• Moving stock
• Pushing a trolley
• Carrying building materials
• Use of a sledgehammer

No matter how your injury was sustained, we will work tirelessly to support your personal injury claim and aim to secure the highest possible compensation sum for you following this incident.

Your employer’s responsibility

It is your employer’s responsibility to ensure that your working environment is safe and free from hazards. They are required by law to minimise the risk of injuries sustained by poor manual handling techniques. Some industries pose much higher risks than others, but even in workplaces that seem relatively safe, there is a risk of a manual handling accident if employees carry out lifting and carrying as part of their duties.

In order to reduce the risks involved with lifting or carrying objects, employers must:

• Provide training on how to lift items properly
• Carry out regular risk assessments
• Ensure that manual handling tasks are only carried out if they are unavoidable
• Consider whether the working environment is suitable
• Ensure sufficient lifting equipment is available to employees

When an employer requires a worker to perform manual handling tasks and fails to uphold their own responsibilities in this respect, this may be considered negligence. If you were injured under circumstances such as these and believe your injury was the result of negligence on the part of your employer, you may be entitled to claim compensation and should get in touch with our team at once to discuss your options.

Why choose us?

The experts at Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors have a wealth of experience in making compensation claims on behalf of employees who were injured in lifting accidents at work. We can estimate exactly how much compensation you could be owed in a free initial consultation, tell you whether or not you will be able to make a claim, and get the process started if you decide to move forwards.

We prioritise communication and will work to make sure you are kept aware of what is happening with your claim at all times. Beyond this, we will do our utmost to make the claims process as simple and stress-free as possible. We provide:

• Private medical treatment where appropriate
• Emergency medical treatment
• A quick estimate of how much compensation you could receive

You will be given the direct-dial telephone number for the solicitor who is handling your claim. If they are unavailable, you will be able to speak to another legal specialist who will handle your enquiry.

Our one call promise

With just one phone call, we will determine if you have a viable compensation claim. If so, we will start work for you immediately. Within the first 24 hours of notifying us of your accident, we will arrange a free consultation with one of our injury specialists, during which you can discuss your circumstances and learn how much compensation you could stand to receive.

We will also send the initial documentation confirming your details for your agreement during this time.

FAQs about lifting accidents at work

How will I know if I can claim compensation for an injury?

Generally, you will be eligible to make a compensation claim if you are injured in an accident that was not your fault. In a workplace context, this can sometimes be difficult to determine, and you may believe that you are the only person who could be responsible for a manual handling accident because no one else was involved.

However, your employer has a duty to follow manual handling regulations correctly, provide suitable training, limit risks and enforce appropriate safety policies. If they failed to do so, they may be responsible for your accident - not you.

The best way to learn whether or not you will be able to claim is to speak to an expert personal injury solicitor about the incident and your injury.

What are the most common injuries sustained from manual handling accidents?

Some of the most common injuries seen by our solicitors in lifting accidents include:

• Straining and spraining muscles and tendons
• Hernias
• Dislocated shoulders
• Neck muscle strains
• Back, spine and disc problems

All of these injuries can be the result of incorrect lifting and handling procedures. While the majority of lifting accidents result in minor injuries, more serious incidents do happen. These can cause life-altering damage and can prove to be extremely painful.

If you sustain one of these injuries at work - even if it was not the result of lifting heavy items - you may be entitled to compensation. Slips, trips and falls, collisions with moving objects or vehicles, falls from height and other accidents can result in back injuries, and your employer has a responsibility to reduce the risk of accidents and keep you safe.

What should I do if I have not received heavy lifting training?

This is a common complaint and your employer must provide manual handling training at the outset of your employment before you are expected to do any heavy lifting. This type of training is one of the best ways to avoid lifting injuries, as it forms part of a risk assessment, teaches employees the best ways to lift items and reinforces ways to recognise the risks posed by certain tasks.

This type of training can help you to:

• Identify unusually shaped objects, which make lifting more dangerous
• Estimate the weight of objects where they are not labelled
• Estimate the density of contents i.e. in a barrel or container
• Use methods like “rocking” to gauge the weight of objects before lifting
• Understand when assistance is needed

If you were not given heavy lifting training in your place of work and have sustained an injury as a result, contact Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors today for a free consultation.

Heavy lifting has made my long-standing back problem worse - what should I do?

This is a common complaint received by Graham Coffey & Co.'s lifting injury solicitors.

Assessing the suitability of a task when selecting an employee is an important part of the risk assessment process. Your employer must consider your physical abilities before asking you to carry out a task. If they fail to do this, or to provide the training and equipment you need to perform the task effectively, and you are injured as a result, they may be found liable.

Even though you are aware of your existing condition you may feel pressured into carrying out the instruction even where you know this will result in an injury.

If you find yourself in this situation and you are unsure whether or not you are entitled to claim compensation, or who is responsible for your accident, speak to a member of our team. In just one phone call, we will discuss your circumstances, determine who was liable for your accident, and let you know whether or not you are able to claim compensation.

How much compensation can I get for a manual handling injury?

As we have explained above, there are many different types of lifting injuries that you might sustain when performing manual handling tasks. The amount of compensation you should expect to receive is determined by a number of factors, which include the nature and severity of your injuries, the circumstances of your accident, and the effect that the injury is likely to have on your life moving ahead.

The Judicial College sets guideline amounts for general damages, which are one part of a personal injury compensation award. General damages cover any pain and suffering you experienced due to your accident. You can find estimates of the amount you could receive in general damages using our personal injury compensation calculator.

Compensation also includes special damages, which account for any financial losses you incurred as a result of your accident at work. This means the costs of any adjustments you had to make to your home or lifestyle as a result of your injury, any medical expenses, and even any money you spent on travel to and from medical or physiotherapy appointments.

It is difficult to offer estimates for compensation in manual handling claims without discussing the accident and the resulting injury first. For this reason, the best way to get a realistic estimate of the amount of compensation you could receive is to call the team at Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors.

Is there a time limit for accident at work claims?

Typically, there is a deadline of three years from the date of any accident to make a personal injury compensation claim. There are some exceptions to this, however. If your injury is not diagnosed immediately, or it is not initially clear that it was the result of an accident at work, the three-year time limit will begin from the point at which you determine that the accident caused the injury.

There is no time limit to make a claim on behalf of someone who is under the age of 18. The three-year time limit will begin once they turn 18 if they have not already made their claim by that point.