Back Injury At Work – Can You Claim Compensation?

239 questions have been answered on this subject, why not ask your own?

Whatever your job, your employer has a duty to keep you from injuring your back by providing the right training, equipment and a safe working environment. Here we look at how to claim if you injure your back at work and what level of compensation you can expect. While most back injuries are usually caused by lifting heavy items or falls at work, they can also result from repetitive tasks, prolonged time in one position or poor seating that doesn’t support the spine, neck or shoulders properly. Back injuries can have long-lasting implications, and as such, compensation amounts can be fairly substantial.

Table of contents

Employer responsibilities to ensure safe lifting at work

Most back injury claims arise from lifting or moving heavy items at work. All employers have a responsibility to ensure that staff members are adequately trained in how to lift items safely. Safe lifting and carrying is commonly known as manual handling training.

Your employer’s duty of care in this respect is set out by the Health & Safety Executive in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. This requires an employer to implement policies and procedures to ‘prevent or reduce the risk of injury’ faced by workers required to perform manual handling.

This applies whether you are loading and unloading deliveries, an NHS or care worker handling patients, shifting stock in a shop, or simply moving boxes in an office.

Good employers will ensure new staff undergo a basic health and safety induction to the workplace, as well as manual handling training to prevent back injuries.

As well as training new staff, employers should also ensure that existing staff are provided with regular refresher training (usually every 3 years) and updated guidance.

If you’ve had no manual handling training and injure your back

If you work for an employer who has not provided proper manual handling training, and you hurt your back lifting or moving objects, you will have a very strong work injury claim. They are putting all staff at risk of injury and could be liable to pay manual handing injury compensation as a result.

Can you still claim if you’ve had manual handling training?

Yes, you can still claim. We regularly help workers who have had manual handling training claim for back injuries. Commonly, they have been forced to work in places that prevent them lifting or moving safely, or have not been provided with the correct equipment to do so.

Providing manual handling training does not mean an employer is not responsible for any back injuries caused by lifting at work – it’s also essential to provide an environment that enables staff to work safely and in accordance with that training.

The maximum weight you should be lifting at work

Health and safety guidelines recommend that no person should attempt to lift an item that exceeds 25kgs in weight without the assistance of a second staff member or hoist.

Trolleys should also be provided to move items once lifted, as this will reduce the stress placed on the employee’s lower back.

If you work for an employer who expects you to lift items of 25kgs or more without assistance, you are likely to suffer a back injury, and if so, would have a very strong claim for compensation.

However, some types of back injury, such as a slipped disc, can be caused by lifting light items, so the weight of what you’re lifting isn’t the only factor at play.

How to claim for a back injury at work

Whatever the cause, a back injury claim will only succeed if you can prove your employer is at fault because they were negligent. In other words, that they failed to prevent or minimise the risk of a back injury. The HSE provides specific advice for employers on how to protect workers from back pain.

If you or your colleagues already warned your employer that a potential risk of back injury existed due to unsafe lifting practices, the weight of an object, a lack of equipment or otherwise, try to find a written record or witness evidence of this.

To make a claim, you will at least need to ensure that your injury is properly reported and recorded and medical treatment is received.

If your employer refuses you access to the accident book, you should contact us for advice. There are still things you can do if no record of the accident has been made.

You should also see your GP or attend an A&E department to ensure that the details of your back injury are noted on your medical records as this will provide evidence to support your claim at a later stage.

Don’t worry if this all seems a bit complicated – if you are in any doubt about what to do and need some clear, honest advice, tell us about your situation and we’ll be glad to help.

What if you have a pre-existing back injury that’s made worse by your job?

Having a pre-existing back injury does not prevent you from claiming compensation. If it is made worse, you can claim for this aggravation. If you have a previous history of back problems reported on your medical records, they will be taken into account when determining what you can claim for.

Back injury compensation amounts

How much you can claim for a back injury at work depends on the severity of the injury and how it impacts your life. Minor soft-tissue injuries will obviously be valued lower than severe spinal injury claims.

Settlement values are comprised of what are known as general and special damages. General damages cover the injury itself and the effect it has on your life. For instance, whether the injury affects your ability to earn money, do your job, perform your usual activities outside work and how long you are likely to experience such problems. Special damages cover the financial costs you incur because of the injury – lost income, medical treatments, travel expenses, property damage, for example.

The table below provides a guide to average compensation amounts for back injuries suffered at work, not including the special damages element of a claim:

Severity of back injuryCompensation amount
Severe£36k - £151k
Moderate£12k - £36k
Minor£2k - £12k

Can you be sacked for making a back injury claim?

Making a back injury claim against your employer can be a worrying prospect. You may be concerned how it will affect the business and your job security, or that of your colleagues. Rest assured, these worries are typically unfounded.

Firstly, it’s your employer’s liability insurance that will pay any compensation, rather than the business itself.

Secondly, employers are not allowed to dismiss you or threaten you with the sack for making a claim. Your employer has responsibilities to injured staff and you have rights after an injury to help you recover, which includes claiming compensation.

At Direct2Compensation making a no win no fee claim for back injury compensation is easy. With over 25 years’ experience, you can use our knowledge and expertise to get your claim off to the best start. There is no charge for assessing your case, so you have nothing to lose and much to gain if you can make a successful claim. It’s usually really quick for us to find out if you have a valid claim, just leave a question below, call us on 01225 430285, or .

239 questions have been answered on this subject, why not ask your own?

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    Questions

    Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus work back injury claim examples...

    My injury happened as a result of lifting at work two years ago during which time I have had two spinal surgeries and I am still having problems. My company have paid me for the substantial time I have had off work even though I am not entitled to sick pay, would this affect my claim for compensation if I went ahead?

    Ian Morris

    Whether or not you have received pay during a period of absence from work is not relevant to whether or not you can pursue or succeed with a claim for personal injury compensation and your pay will not have any negative implications for any claim you wish to pursue.

    Claimants have a period of 3 years from the date of an injury sustained at work within which they can seek to make a claim. As 2 years have already passed in your case, the biggest issue facing your claim and your prospects of succeeding is time. Although you do have 3 years, Solicitors generally need a minimum of 6 months of that period to remain open to enable them to pursue the matter on a No Win No Fee basis. With this in mind, if you do wish to pursue a claim, we strongly advise that you contact us at the earliest opportunity to get the ball rolling.

    The fact that your employers have paid your usual salary is a positive thing and does reflect well on them in that they have prevented you from having the added stress of a lost income to cope with whilst attempting to recover from a painful injury. In this case, the only impact that your employers decision to pay you will have on your claim is that the loss of income element of any settlement you obtain is likely to be nil – unless there are future loss of income considerations to be made in pursuit of your claim.

    Reply

    My employer bought a new van and its causing me back , neck and backside ache everyday,I have told them about the problem but the reply is to stop moaning.
    I dont want to leave my job but am worried the back problems will continue as I will be driving the van for at least the next 3 years.

    Ian Morris

    It is unlikely that you would be able to establish that the vehicle in question is unduly dangerous or that the employer has been negligent. If the vehicle is unmodified and legally roadworthy, it would not seem that you can take any action.

    Reply

    I had a lifting injury at work. I have torn a tendon and ruptured my biceps. I went straight to hospital & I am now under the physio and could maybe need an operation It has been put in accident book but I am still under the hospital because the swelling isn’t reducing.

    My employer has said that I cannot claim because I didn’t put it in accident on site, but went straight to hospital. I then put it in the employers accident book, but they’ve since said I should have not lifted the block on the metal, but I have never been told this or never had a manual handling course. Our work has always involved lifting. Where do I stand?

    Ian Morris

    You have valid grounds to pursue a claim and we would love to help you to exercise your right and seek compensation for the painful injury and recover your lost income. The accident book issue is not of concern, but your employers failure to provide adequate manual handling training is! Our Solicitors can assist you on a No Win No Fee basis. Please call us on 01225430285 or if you prefer, request a call from us via our website.

    Reply

    I have had a bad back know for 10yrs roughly which I believe it could have been avoided as been with same company for 21 years and had only two manual handing courses in that time. The last 3 yrs back has been getting worse, I have had one steroid injection which employer is aware off late 2021 and is getting worse. Spoken to boss and said if I can’t do the job then leave. I have refused on several occasions to do dangerous lifting like carrying 100kg up stairs with two of us, and dragging heavy equipment off a van which weighs about 200 kg, sometimes heavier. The time has come to have an operation which I found out February this year and worried that I will lose my job, and the issue is I am still working, I have to stand on hard concrete Floor now for 9 hrs a day with lifting machines on a hydraulic work bench which has only been serviced once in 21 yrs. I have I sheet of evidence of wrong health and safety issues and believe this is now going to affect the rest off my life, and worried I will lose job once I tell him I need an operation, is there anything I can do?

    Ian Morris

    Sadly, the courts are likely to find that you are outside of the 3 year claim limitation period – even though your symptoms appeared to have worsened in the past 2-3 years. As such, it is highly unlikely that any Solicitor would be able to offer you a No Win No Fee service to pursue your claim as there is a high prospect that you would not be able to succeed in the time that has lapsed.

    Reply

    My company show no due diligence or duty of care in regards to my back,
    I’ve had 2 occasions where this has further injured my back which has lead me to take time off work.
    One was repeatedly sent to work with no risk assessment (we now have one with a predated date on it) one driver was suspended for refusing to work without it, and another repeated requests to not drive a particular vehicle because of the seats ignored then deducted 5 hours pay due to the injury as I had to go home injured – I’ve got two sets of occupational health both stating my back issue (on that day my request for other duties was ignored) and on my return I was ignored – do I have a case?

    Ian Morris

    You may well have a case and we feel that your enquiry warrants detailed consideration by our specialist Solicitors. We have reached out to you for some further information by email. As soon as we have that, we’ll get one of our specialist Solicitors to contact you to discuss this potential claim for compensation in more detail with you.

    Reply

    I started a job at a sofa/furniture company September last year, part-time with two of us sharing the hours. no manual handling training was provided just a “trial” shift unloading a truck full of sofas. No accident book was ever mentioned to me at any point during my time working although we were provided with trolleys to move sofas and furniture in and out from warehouse to vehicle, the terrain outside the warehouse were incredibly rough and bumpy and lifting furniture and sofas from the ground is inevitable which I believe due to the heavy lifting and repetitive nature of the work has left me with 2 herniated disks that has bed ridden me for 6 weeks and needing surgery. I’m not sure if I have a claim but I just know I tried my best to do my job and now I live in constant pain and discomfort anxious about everything I do incase it flares up my sciatica and I end up bed ridden again. I stopped working as soon as an mri confirmed it was a prolapsed disks during February.

    Ian Morris

    Lifting of such items if done unsafely could certainly cause injury and spinal damage. This is why employers are mandated to provide manual handling training and ensure that appropriate equipment and assistance is provided so that workers can work safely.

    In your case, it would seem that your employer has failed to uphold their duty of care and it is certainly reasonable for you to therefore want to pursue a claim for personal injury compensation. Given your description of your injury and the work you were doing, we would like to speak with you to find out a little more and advise as to whether you can make a claim for personal injury compensation.

    Reply

    I am a white goods Engineer and I damaged my lower back a few days ago at work and have done it again. The company provides no private health care or any other benefits towards your well-being. Appliances can weigh from 60-90kg. In-house manual handling training was provided. Do you have any advice on this matter?

    Ian Morris

    Although your employer has provided manual handling training, it would appear that they have then provided a working environment which prevents you from following the advice and guidance provided in the training. The weight of the items you have mention far exceeds the same individual lifting limit of 25kg’s and if you are expected to move items of up to 90kg’s without assistance or equipment and sustain injury as a result, your employer has been negligent.

    Reply

    I hurt my back at work pulling 2 metre pallets to private addresses which drag the floor when you get them off your tail lift and can be as heavy as 1 ton in weight, can i claim?

    Ian Morris

    Did your employer provide you with the appropriate training to enable to you lift and move such weight safely and did they provide the correct amount of assistance and the right equipment to enable safe moving of the items being delivered?

    If not, we can establish employer negligence and assist you to make a claim for personal injury compensation.

    Reply

    No manual handling course, no contract, no terms of employment. Hurt my back over three weeks ago now, lifting heavy goods to be sent to customer. I am always sent to do the packing as I am big in stature, my probation period ended (three months) 21st May. Upon which I was to receive pay rise and full time contract. Due to not receiving this, I don’t want to rock the boat and potentially loose my job. I’ve not worked for a long time due to mental health issues, including depression, anxiety to name but a few. Self certificated for first week, then signed off by doctor for the last two weeks. Any help appreciated!

    Ian Morris

    You have up to 3 years to make a claim, so you do have time on your side and don’t have to start your claim now or even in the next few months. With this in mind, it is vital that you make sure that a written record of your injury at work is made with the employer and you should also cite a lack of manual handling training or adequate support.

    If you do make a claim, it would be against your employers mandatory insurance cover and not against the employer directly.

    Reply

    I work for a carpet company and 8 months ago moved to a new warehouse.
    We still have no forklift and at times are expected to manually move rolls of carpet.
    These rolls weigh anywhere between 100kg and 300kg.
    I am off work at the moment after injuring my back.
    My boss and managers have been repeatedly told of our concerns.

    Ian Morris

    You have a valid claim for compensation as a result of your employers negligence. Our specialist Solicitor can assist you on a No Win No Fee basis.

    Reply

    I work in a furniture department of a store. I was brought a pallet to unload onto the shop floor. I have been given a manual handling course. The pallet was stacked over 5 foot high – taller than me. The items on it were large and heavy, so I asked for them to be lifted off for me. The next item was in a smaller box at about shoulder level to me. I took hold of the box and brought it to my chest and continued to pull the box to me. On getting the box to the edge and taking the weight, the weight took me by surprise, knocking me flat on my back, winding me, which was very frightening and I had hurt by back, buttocks and wrist. An accident report was made but no offer of first add or assistance to get home was given.

    Ian Morris

    Whilst employers have a duty of care to ensure that employees are appropriately trained and given manual handling guidance, the employer must also ensure that the working environment is safe and that it is possible to follow the guidance of the training. In the scenario you have described, there is likely to be reasonable grounds for you to pursue a claim against your employers insurance as the pallet you were unloading appears to have been loaded dangerously and in a way that makes it impossible for you to lift or work safely.

    If you would like to discuss making a No Win No Fee claim for compensation, please call us on 01225430285.

    Reply

    I work in the construction industry with my dad. It’s my dad that I’m asking the question for as he’s not too familiar with computers. He has been fencing for 40+ years with the same company, and has a level amount of loyalty toward them. He has had time off in previous years here and there due to his bad back, but it is progressively getting worse and I’m rather worried in a year he won’t even be able to walk. If he can’t walk, he can’t do his job, if he can’t do his job he’ll have no income. His back pain is from years of service and not just an individual moment. Will he be able to claim?

    Ian Morris

    Has your Father been given training regarding safe lifting and moving manual handling? Does the employer ensure that no workers are expected to lift items exceeding the safe lifting limit and is the working environment a safe one? If you can answer ‘no’ to any of these initial questions, then there is merit in further discussing this matter with your Father and for our Solicitors to investigate the potential to pursue a claim.

    Reply

    I am a delivery driver at a warehouse and as i was loading my van up i picked a heavy item up from a very low point in a large tub to place on my van, i done damage to my back and have had 6 weeks off work due to a vertabrae fracture in the middle of my back, also i’m only being paid ssp which is crippling can you give me any advice thanks

    Ian Morris

    If the item that you were lifting was of a considerable weight, the item should have been labelled as such so that you would be aware and could lift the item in such a way (with assistance or machinery) that you would not sustain injury. If it was not labelled, you may well have a valid claim. Further, if the workplace has failed to give you appropriate manual handling training, or if the working environment is such that it is impossible to work within the parameters of safe lifting, then you can make a claim for personal injury compensation.

    We suggest that you make further contact with us as it would appear that you are likely to have grounds to pursue a claim. If successful, you would be entitled to a compensation settlement that would include a financial value for the injury you have sustained (which would be based on medical evidence and recovery prognosis) and importantly, to recover your lost income or incurred costs.

    Our No Win No Fee service affords you the opportunity to seek to uphold your rights after an accident at work, without the worry of legal costs should the matter fail.

    Reply

    I hurt my back at work when I picked up a bucket, I felt a very strong pain in my lower back that immobilized my legs and hips. I went to the hospital and they said it was sciatica but I had to go to the gp. At the gp my doctor said that I have disc prolapse and that I also have spondylolisthesis. I’ve been out of work since December 1st and with treatment and doing physiotherapy. I am not able to do my job and I have constant pain that is preventing me from leading my life normally. I feel very frustrated because this happened at work because I work constantly under stress and with broken machines, otherwise this would not have happened. I have bills to pay and I have ssp right now and I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life. What can I do in this case? I think it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that everything is working properly and that we have working conditions.

    Ian Morris

    You are totally right in that the employer is obliged to ensure that the working environment is as safe as it can be and that the risks of injury to employees is minimised. In this case, the broken/not working equipment is clearly a failure on the part of your employer and you have a right to pursue a claim for your serious back injury against their insurance cover.

    If successful with your claim, our Solicitors would recover your loss of income and also a compensation settlement appropriate for the pain and distress caused to you by your back injury.

    Reply

    I trained as a nurse from 1978 to 1981, I now have chronic back pain. During my early years as a nurse,I had no manual handling training, and no equipment to lift patients in or out of bed or bath,or to assist with toileting needs. I now have long standing back pain, can you help me?

    Ian Morris

    There are a couple of obvious hurdles that may prevent you from pursuing a claim in this case. Firstly, we need to look at causation – that is to establish a causal link between your back pain and the work you were doing. Whilst the work would have been physical, a defendant would likely argue that the problems you are having are age/wear and tear related rather than due to the work you were doing. As there hasn’t been a one off trauma, it will be hard for a medical expert to establish the causal link and your claim would likely be finished as a result. We also need to look at limitation. Claimants MUST make a claim within 3 years of the date of an accident, or in this case the date at which they knew, or ought to have known that their injury was work related. With this in mind, if you first developed symptoms over 3 years ago, you are likely to be statute barred and unable to take this further.

    Reply

    I am a self employed contractor who contracts to a company on a self employed basis. Recently I pulled/tore an upper back muscle at work, I was lifting safely using the correct manual handling procedures and pulled it moving one 20kg box from one trolley to another, the company I was at when it happened would not put it in their accident book and said it had to go through the company I subcontract for.
    I called and spoke on the phone and have no idea if it has been recorded or not but i did make my own records of it.
    The job I do involves a lot of heavy lifting and if I am instructed by doctors not to lift anything or to be on light duties per say, there is a high chance I will not be able to continue working. Any advice where i stand? Cheers

    Ian Morris

    It is clearly important that the injury is recorded correctly. The workplace on the day should have allowed you to make a record of it and the company who sub-contracted you should have also recorded the details. You should make your own written report of the injury and send a copy to both parties, requesting that they record the details.

    Whether or not you would be in a position to pursue a claim is unclear as it appears that you were not being asked to lift an item that exceeds the safe limit and you state that you were following the correct manual handling training guidance. As such, unless the workplace environment meant that it was impossible to work safely, it is hard to see how you could pursue a claim.

    Reply

    Hi – My other half went to work for a company last year- He was made to carry a crate of 20 bottles of 4 pint milk which I work out equated to about 7 stone, he was made to carry it with no assistance from a barrow, another person etc . He then as a result suffered an injury to his back on the saturday of that week, the employer dismissed him the same day saying he could not handle the heavy lifting. A member of staff had been off with a bad back before. He had no induction, no manual handling training, they did not get him to fill in any forms or show him where the accident book was. He went to A&E who told him that it was torn ligaments. Do we have a case – this happened in October 2021. Thank you

    Ian Morris

    Our initial view is that your partner has a valid claim for personal injury compensation as the employer appears to have breached their safety at work obligations, with specific regard to manual handling training.

    Our specialist Solicitors can act for your partner on a No Win No Fee basis. Please call us on 01225430285 and we’ll have this matter pursued for you.

    Reply

    I work in a kitchen as a pastry chef where I lift heavy mixers several times a day moving them from one end to the other side of the kitchen. Over time I’ve developed bad pains in my groin that had now moved from my groin in to my back and legs. I’m now signed off work under medical investigation. I’m in unbearable pain everyday. Although I’ve done online training on manual handling, we are still expected to lift and transfer items beyond our strength – such as the mixer.

    Ian Morris

    Providing training is only one part of an employers responsibility to ensure that the risks of injury through manual handling in the workplace are minimised. Along with training, an employer must also ensure that the working environment enables staff to follow the guidance given in any manual handling training and that the items that staff are expected to lift and move, can be lifted and moved safely by a staff member.

    In your case, our Solicitors can discuss the situation in detail and potentially pursue a claim against your employer for the pain and discomfort caused to you along with recovery of any lost income.

    Reply

    Hi there, I recently suffered from a back injury at my workplace. The job require us to lift 30kg kegs and other items mostly by ourselves. This due to the fact that there’s only one person scheduled to work. The company has failed to provide me with any training for heavy lifting in the past year that I’ve been working here. They have also failed to update the way they operate. This is now the 3rd time I have been injured and had to take time off work, without pay. Every time I have reported this issue to the manager, but nothing has changed. Would my claim be valid?

    Ian Morris

    The lifting you describe indicates that you have a valid claim for personal injury compensation. It would seem that your employer has been negligent on more than one count, including their failure to provide adequate manual handling training and inadequate equipment.

    Make sure that your injury at work is recorded in writing as that will provide useful evidence to support a Solicitor in due course.

    Reply

    Can an employee who injured themselves lifting heavy boxes without using the knees, be terminated?

    Ian Morris

    If an employer has provided manual handling training and an employee then injures themselves through lifting, having chosen to ignore or not follow the training guidance, they cannot then pursue a claim against the employer for personal injury as the employer has not acted negligently.

    As to whether the employer could then dismiss the employee is unclear. Failing to follow training to lift safely, is unlikely to be seen as gross misconduct, so dismissal from the workplace for such an incident would seem unfair and unreasonable. However, if the employee has repeatedly failed to follow training and has an existing disciplinary record, the employer may dismiss them.

    Reply

    I would like to get some information on a back injury on the job, about 5 years ago. I have bulging discs and from that time I have often been in pain and lost income. What can I do?

    Ian Morris

    Unfortunately, UK personal injury law applies a strict 3 year claim limitation period and if you do not pursue a claim within 3 years of the date of your injury, you are statute barred and cannot pursue a claim for compensation.

    Reply

    I work in a steel factory and got a back injury due to defective equipment and no assistance when I asked for it. My employer is denying liability and saying that the injury is my fault, yet the equipment I was using was changed a short time after my accident! I have also been followed by a private investigator??

    Was a private investigator sent to investigate me because they haven’t a leg to stand on because of the defective equipment, so they’re looking to catch me out? Could there be another explanation for this? How long will I be followed for and do they stop following me if they have something on me, or stop when they see that I’m genuinely in pain or will they keep going? I hope you can help me on this please.

    Ian Morris

    The denial of liability is something that is frustrating, but given the defective equipment and your ignored requests for assistance prior to sustaining your injury, it is not something that should overly concern you at this stage.

    In your case, if your injury was reported promptly and medical attention was obtained quickly, there can be no argument that the injury was caused at work and the two sides will then fight over liability and based on your description, you appear to be in a good position on that count.

    In terms of the investigator, that will be the defendant insurers who have decided to undertake this surveillance of you. They will be checking on you periodically over the coming weeks and months in order to see if they can obtain evidence of you undertaking activities that you have claimed you cannot do. As an example, if your claim states that you are limited with mobility and strength due to your back injury, they’ll be hoping to get footage of you running, mowing the lawn and undertaking the activities of a person who is not claiming for a disabling injury. So long as you are not doing anything you’ve claimed you cannot do, you have nothing to worry about and if you do notice an investigator, just wave to them!

    Wayne

    Thank you ian just one more question please if the insurance company didnt think I had a good case against them would they still send out a private investigator or would they still do it if I didnt have a case against them?? Can you please explain if you can I’d greatly appreciate it.

    Thank you

    Ian Morris

    It is impossible to be certain, but it would be highly unlikely that an insurer would go to the cost of instructing a private investigator (it is quite an expensive speciality to recruit) to undertake surveillance on you and your activities if they didn’t feel that your case had good prospects of succeeding. Defendant insurers would usually use such operatives in an effort to discredit or undermine a claimant that would otherwise succeed with their claim and at a substantial settlement cost.

    Have you informed your Solicitor that you are being followed? If you have had a medical examination for the purposes of your claim and both sides have agreed on the contents of the medical experts report, it may well be possible to get the defendant to withdraw the covert surveillance.

    Reply

    Hello,

    I’m currently working for company where we do picking, the limit weight is 15kg, last time i released that we was lifting up to 20 kg so breaching the contract. No rotation provided for me, so that i was kept in heavy workload when others are rotated between soft work and hard work, following those circumstances i start feel hard pain. I ask for a preventive action to avoid aggravating my health, they ask for GP, in the same time they put me through occupational health process. The OH report ask for rotation and provided me with therapy, the report was challenged and my health have being aggravated, i take decisions to take sick off for 1 month justified with sick note to care about myself, when i return to work i got warning that i breach the policy of absence / attendance.

    They breach the contract when lifting up to 20kg, no training, they affect my health, and then gave me warning for taking care about myself, can i claim?

    Ian Morris

    Has your employer provided you with manual handling training? If not, you may be able to pursue a claim against them for employer negligence as employers have an obligation to ensure that adequate manual handling training to prevent back injuries is provided to staff that will be expected to lift and move items during their working hours.

    If you would like further help, please call us on 01225430285.

    Reply

    Hurt my back bending down in the racking after being told to put products away, only been working for the company for 2 weeks.

    Ian Morris

    Has your new employer provided you with manual handling training? Were you expected to move items of excessive weight or in a position that would make following manual handling guidance impossible? These are some of the questions we need to get the answers from in order to advise you fully, but it would certainly seem that you have valid grounds to make a further and more detailed enquiry with us.

    Reply

    Hi, my employer made me walk for an hour with a very heavy battery in my delivery backpack after my bike broke, as a result I now suffer from back pain. Is this something I can claim for?

    Ian Morris

    If the bike was the property of the employer, you may have grounds to pursue a claim – albeit it’s unclear if you could succeed with such action. You would have to establish that the battery in question exceeded the safe lifting limit and that your employer had failed to provide adequate training or assistance. You may also have a hurdle to cross with regards to causation – establishing a link between the carrying of the battery and the back injury you have sustained.

    Reply

    Hi, I worked for a a company collecting and delivering furniture .
    Most of the 4 years I was there they sent me alone to do the job, I hurt my back a couple of years ago then again about 2 months ago. I was on sick leave for 3 weeks I’ve since left.
    They also made me go into the cellar which is approx 5ft ceiling height and carry furniture and heavy bags in and out.
    The health and safety officer I believe told them we was not allowed to use it but they carried on sending me in.
    Also cut my head open numerous times while being sent in there.
    There attitude was basically it’s your job.
    I’ve had a MRI on my back and it’s wear and tear due to age and lifting.
    I’m waiting on the doctors to get back to me about therapy. I’m in constant pain everyday .
    Tony

    Ian Morris

    Were any of the injuries you had at work within the last 3 years recorded in the employers accident book? If so, you can seek to pursue a claim for compensation.

    Reply

    I sustained a back injury working at a foundry. My GP was concerned enough to send me to A&E to check it wasn’t Cauda Equina Syndrome. I sustained the injury moving an object in excess of 25Kg. The damage is to my tendons luckily, so I am not going to end up in a wheelchair this time. The issue is, I’m now in too much pain to work and the Hospital has advised a minimum of four weeks to recover. My employer has provided manual handling training, but there are no mechanical aids to assist in the lifting of heavy object in my area. Am I likely to have a claim?

    Ian Morris

    You appear to have a very strong claim against your employer on the basis of their negligence in their failure to provide manual handling training and aids/equipment to enable you to move items exceeding the safe lifting limit safely.

    We would be very happy to help you pursue your claim and believe that you would be successful in such action. If you do pursue a claim, our Solicitors will seek to recover compensation for the injury you have sustained as well as recovery of any incurred costs or lost income caused by the injury and employer negligence.

    Reply

    I have been working in a sheet metal factory for 4 months and for every night since then and in the mornings I have a sharp lower back pain from lifting at work, I kept asking them to give me a site induction when I first started and still not had one, and haven’t had No Manual handling training whatsoever, what should I do? I’m going to leave this Employment soon anyway.

    Ian Morris

    You should make sure that any injury symptoms are reported to the employer in writing. It is unlikely that an accident book would be the right place to log the injury as there hasn’t been a one off incident or accident, but you can write to or email your employer stating what symptoms you are having as a result of their failure to provide you with manual handling training to prevent back injuries or a site induction.

    Given the failure of the employer to provide adequate training, it’s more than likely that you have a strong case to succeed with a claim for personal injury compensation. We can certainly help you to pursue such a claim which if successful, would see you recover compensation for the pain and discomfort of the injury but also open the possibility of obtaining specialist rehabilitation therapy to ensure that your injury is sorted as quickly as possible and that you can return to normal activity at the earliest opportunity.

    Reply

    It was decided that within the two offices, my team would be moving office. We did such and (without training) we all proceeded to move equipment.
    This wasn’t at the instruction of my employer, however as far as I know he was aware that we were moving. As a result of moving this equipment, I have suffered a lower back injury that A&E have described as a mechanical injury, and overuse of my back. I have never had manual handling training. It has only been a few days since the injury so I am unaware about how much time I will have to take off or do a reduced work load, do you think I still have a claim?

    Ian Morris

    You appear to have a valid claim on the grounds of the employers failure to provide you with manual handling training or clear instructions as to the move of offices.

    If you would like further help with a claim, please use the ‘start your claim‘ page of our website and we’ll be have this matter investigated for you.

    Reply

    I work sorting heavy parcels and had a serious back injury, also a very bad hernia which needs surgery. i had no health and safety induction when I started.

    Ian Morris

    Your employer appears to have failed to ensure that the risks of you being injured whilst performing your duties were minimised. An initial health and safety induction is vitally important in workplaces where physical work such as lifting and moving or the use of machinery will be undertaken. In your case, not only should you have had an initial induction, but you should also have had the appropriate manual handling training to ensure that you knew how to lift and move packages safely and how to identify any items that exceeded the safe lifting limit.

    We can help you to recover compensation for your injuries and recover lost income if our Solicitors are successful with your claim. To give your claim the best chance of success, make sure that the details of your injuries are recorded within the employers accident book and also ensure that you seek medical attention from your GP to ensure that medical evidence will be available to support your Solicitor.

    Reply

    I am 46 years old and I worked for OneStop company for around five years. Most of the time, I am moving and pushing cages of at least 150 kg (often up to 200 kg) because I work in the loading area. Many times when doing this work, I have slipped as in winter the load bay is full of water and slippery.

    After leaving work, I always have strong pain in my back and neck every day and I wonder if I can make a claim?

    I left the company around 2 years ago but this pain in my back unfortunately affects my life.

    Ian Morris

    It would appear that you may well have a valid claim against the former employer for the back injury/neck pain you are suffering with. Our only concern at this time, is whether you are still within the 3 year claim limitation period.

    In the UK, the law requires that you pursue a claim within 3 years of the date of an injury. When did you first attend your Doctor or seek medical help with the back/neck pain?

    Reply

    I recently had a lower back injury in work over-stretching to unload a vehicle that should have been unloaded ready for my shift. I went to see the doctor and he signed me off for one week with a sick note. I’m still having minor issues with my back and have been given Naproxen by the doctor but my employer refuses to give me anything more than SSP.

    Ian Morris

    Unfortunately, unless your contract of employment specifies that your employer will pay your usual salary during a period of sickness, there is no legal obligation for the employer to pay anything more than statutory sick pay (SSP) if you qualify for the scheme.

    The only way you can recover your lost income (the difference between the SSP you have received and your usual salary which is £229.70 per week) or any other costs you have incurred because of the back injury, will be by pursuing and succeeding with a claim for personal injury compensation against your employers insurance cover. As your back was injured whilst lifting and moving items it may well be a matter our specialist Solicitors can assist with successfully.

    Reply

    Hi I hurt my back at work, been of sick. I didn’t put in the accident book, can I still claim?

    Ian Morris

    Whilst an accident book report is a useful piece of evidence to support a claim for compensation, the lack of an accident book entry is something our Solicitors can work around during the claims process.

    Reply

    Hi, I work in a builders warehouse picking orders for delivery. I lift heavy and awkward materials day in day out and have done fir the last 5 years. The orders can range from anything we have in stock and the quantity can be huge. I do about 20.000 steps a day and like I said lifting all day as well. The time I have had off sick is through injury to my back or because of tennis elbow. I have had wrist pain but mostly back pain. My workplace has promised to move me to a different role a number of times but nothing has ever been done and it’s got to the point where I think I’m going to have to go on the sick to recover. Is there anything that can be done?

    Ian Morris

    You may well be able to pursue a claim for compensation against the employer, if it can be established that your employer has been negligent and could have taken action to reduce the risk of the injuries you have sustained, but failed to do so. Negligence in this scenario would likely be the employers failure to make provision of adequate and regular training, inadequate tools and equipment to enable you to work safely and requiring you to lift or move items that exceed safe lifting limits.

    You have up to 3 years from the date of the onset of symptoms (the date at which you became aware that they were more than just a minor niggle and were likely to be work related) in which you can make a claim.

    Reply

    I recently had an injury at work whilst lifting a very heavy item to throw into a waste bin. The item weighs about 60 kg. I felt a sharp and extreme pain in my lower back that resulted in me dropping the weight and landing onto my right knee causing a cut to my knee for which first aider had given me plasters.
    Following the accident I was in severe pain and had to visit the walk in centre which was diagnosed as a pulled muscle. I have been off sick since but now getting further complications like a shooting pain which runs from my buttocks down to my leg which leaves me with temporary paralysis on that side.
    I have never had any manual handling training to complete this particular part of my job. Am I to be blamed for my injury due to not lifting correctly, do I have a case for compensation?

    Ian Morris

    The cause of your injury can certainly be assigned to employer negligence. Not only were you expected to lift an item of extreme weight – that should not be lifted by one person without lifting equipment, but you have also not had any manual handling training to prevent back injuries. As such, you can make a claim! Our specialist Solicitors will work for you on a No Win No Fee basis and will seek to recover compensation for your injuries – the value of which will be based on medical evidence and how your recovery goes – and also recover any loss of income or incurred costs caused by the injury.

    Reply

    I can’t work due to my disabilities because of lifting heavy patients over a period of 32 years in different hospitals and care homes without hoists as there was only any lifts for helping with bath times.

    Ian Morris

    When did your symptoms develop? To pursue a claim, you would have to act within 3 years of the date at which you became aware of the symptoms.

    Reply

    I was in work in Tesco packing shelves while I was doing that I felt a sudden pain in my back and couldn’t barely bend or move, so I reported it to my boss and they sent me home.

    I’ve been out of work for the last 5 weeks now with my back and have just returned to work. Would I qualify for compensation? Thank you

    Ian Morris

    If your employer has not provided you with manual handling training (how to lift and move items safely), expected you to lift items exceeding the safe lifting limit or provides a working environment that makes it impossible to work in accordance with manual handling training guidance, you can make a claim for your injury.

    In your case, it is certainly worth us looking in to this for you.

    Reply

    Hello. I’ve worked over the last 12 years as a cleaner, housekeeper and a carer. I’ve never had health and safety training for the cleaning job which damaged my neck with lots of heavy lifting. My neck problem has progressed into s severe spondylitis and I’ve developed osteoarthritis in my neck and shoulders. With the care jobs I’ve always had handling and lifting training and they say you shouldn’t lift but you can’t help lift people with bed baths you’ve to lift legs and roll heavy people assist the up off the toilet etc. I’ve had an MRI scan and I’ve got degenerative decease in my lower spine and bulging disks in my neck and spine. I’ve had to give up my care work job and I’m finding it very difficult to find a job that doesn’t involve physical work as I can’t do this any more. Do you think I could claim compensation?

    Ian Morris

    You can make a claim as long as you are doing so within 3 years of suffering the injuries. This is clearly a factor in whether or not you can pursue a claim for compensation. You need to consider when you first realised that your symptoms were work related and when you first attended the Doctors regarding the same.

    Reply

    I was hurt at work and went to the Doctors. They did x-rays and said that I had three bad discs in my back.

    I gave the paperwork to my employer who never filed it. I couldn’t work so I had to quit and now he won’t pay.

    Ian Morris

    If your injury happened within the past 3 years, please call us on 01225430285 so that we can further discuss your work and what you did. We would like to know what, if any training your employer provided regarding safe lifting and moving and what equipment they provided to minimise the risks of injury.

    Reply

    I was employed for 28 years as a site supervisor which involved a lot of manual work often being forced to lift and move extremely heavy items.
    I received no guidance on manual handling until well into my employment, this was many years well over 10 years. I had back surgery for herniated disc L5 and returned to work approx 10 years ago at which time I was advised it was a phased return for 1 month only and would then be required to carry out all aspects of the role. I subsequently suffered herniated discs and was left with no choice but to finish my employment in 2015 as the work was to hard I’m currently awaiting surgery on the same discs, do I have grounds to claim?

    Ian Morris

    It would seem that your former employer was negligent in their handling of your safety at work. However, the time that has lapsed between you suffering the injuries mentioned and being left unable to work and now puts you out of limitation and unable to make a claim for personal injury. Unfortunately, all claims MUST be made within 3 years of the date of an injury or date at which you became aware of the severity of your injuries.

    Reply

    I have injured my back at work, and awaiting a chiropractic report on the damage done.
    I am expected to lift weights of up to 52kg (radiators & boilers), and have never been shown the correct way to do this, nor shown how to fill in an accident report.
    Do i have a claim against my employer?

    Ian Morris

    You certainly have a valid claim. The weight of the items you mention (52kg) exceeds safe lifting limits and are of a weight that should never be lifted by one employee. This, combined with the employers failure to provide you with appropriate manual handling training indicate that you have strong claim.

    Reply

    I’ve had sciatica pain, leg and back, for 2 years now and recently has got so bad keeps me awake. I think this caused by lifting washing machines, fridges etc at work. My employer has terminated my employment after 35 years on another issue to avoid paying redundancy. Can claim compensation for what I think is a work caused condition?

    Ian Morris

    You have a right to make a claim for compensation so long as you do so within 3 years of the onset of any symptoms. The issue that needs to be considered carefully is causation – that is to establish that the injury is related to heavy lifting at work and not due to degeneration or some other trauma.

    Did your employer provide you with manual handling training and equipment to assist with the lifting and moving of the washing machines, fridges and other white goods?

    Reply

    I work for a company that distributes a group of products that exceed 25 kilos. We are expected to lft these as individuals and I have developed a weak back that sometimes goes into spasm. I recently said I was finding the work harder (I am 63) and I have been told that my hours are being reduced by 50% and my inability to do heavy lifting was given as one of the criteria. Can I claim for years of heavy lifting reducing my ability to lift?

    Ian Morris

    Any claim must be made within 3 years of the onset of symptoms, or the date at which you ought to have known that you had developed symptoms. With regards to the back problem you have developed, when did you first become aware of it and when did you first attend your GP regarding the condition?

    Essentially, as you are being asked to lift weights exceeding the safe lifting limit, a claim would be valid – we just need to know more about the timeline to make sure that the claim is within limitation.

    Reply

    Hello I have injuried myself at work and took my employers to a tribunal which I won for discrimination. I was later unfairly dismissed with 3 hernia and a back injury could I receive any compensation for this please advice.

    I injuried myself end of January 2019 and was diagnosed with sciatica and back pain then. I had a scan and had 3 hernia repaired. They waited until I was healed before I could have a scan on my back and it as just come through I have slip disc.

    Ian Morris

    The tribunal and employment issues should be seen separately to any injuries that you may have sustained at work and the tribunal hearing that you won for discrimination is not relevant to personal injury compensation – although it does indicate that your employer may not have acted appropriately towards your health and safety at work. As such, if you have not yet already made a claim for the injury you sustained in January 2019, please contact us at the earliest opportunity on 01225430285 as you have just over 12 months of your 3 year claim limitation period remaining available. With this in mind, it is important to act quickly and avoid any further delay in making your claim for injury compensation.

    Reply

    I used to work for a steel company till we all got made redundant but a few years ago. I had an accident where I felt and heard a disc in the lower back pop out and went for x-ray and got told that disc had come out. I was put on strong medication for it as pain was unbearable, and had to go for physio for a length of time, but still suffer from pain. The accident was put in book, but it happened around 6 years ago. I couldn’t claim at time as I know I would have lost my job as people who claimed compensation from them soon after would lose their job.

    I never had any handling training before the accident. Is it too late to claim now?

    Ian Morris

    Your former employer appears to have stolen your right to make a claim for compensation due to their illegal actions of dismissing staff who pursued a legitimate claim. As more than 3 years have now passed, you cannot make a claim for compensation as you must do so before the 3rd anniversary of your injury. This is really unfortunate as you would likely have succeeded with a claim if you had made on in time as the employer’s failure to provide manual handling training is employer negligence.

    Reply

    Hi I hurt my back at work lifting a trailer bar to hook it off. I didn’t go to the Doctor and the work didn’t record it. They never gave me any training or a course but now they are starting to send us on courses.

    Can I make a claim as I still suffer with my back but I have not seen a Doctor? The employer did only put me on light duties.

    Ian Morris

    When did you have the injury? If the incident happened within the past 3 years, you have a right to make a claim. Of course, the lack of an accident book entry and a lack of medical records could make succeeding with your claim less likely, but as things stand you can still claim without having seen a doctor yet, we would be happy to have our Solicitors further consider this for you.

    Please call us on 01225430285 to provide further details.

    Reply

    Hello, I suffered torn abdominal muscles in March 2019. I was told to lift a 50 kg box onto the van. I picked it up at a funny angle, I heard it tear. My boss and his son laughed and because it’s a small family business I do the majority of everything. I have worked there for 32 years. I never signed a contract nor has there been any health and safety, no HR, nothing. I have never been trained in lifting procedures or any health and safety. I went on holiday three days later being in agony for the whole holiday and spent it in bed. I couldn’t walk fifty yards without having to sit down because my legs went like jelly. Being in the abdominal region which is the core of your body it ruined my holiday. When I returned home I went to see my GP a couple of times. I was never allowed to have time off unless I was dying. I was advised to purchase a stomach support band for two months.

    Eventually I developed pneumonia and collapsed outside a restaurant. I was told to get a taxi to an NHS emergency centre and they wanted to admit me to hospital, but I told him I had to work the next day, so they just give me antibiotics. It’s been like this for 32 years In which I only had 15 days off sick and four of them where my own family members funerals. I rang the the councils health and safety around seven years ago anonymously. A lady came round and threatened to close him down if he didn’t sort the issue in two weeks. She came back and he just locked all the doors and never heard from her again.

    Ian Morris

    Your employer clearly ignores their obligatory duties regarding Health and Safety in the workplace and the requirement of employers to reduce the risk of injury in the workplace.

    In this case, the lack of manual handling training and inadequate employer guidance regarding safe lifting has caused you to sustain the injury to your abdominal muscles. As such, you have a valid right to make a claim.

    Reply

    I am concerned about the potential for injury.
    i just started a new job. desperate times taking on a job better suited for a younger guy. I’m 52 strong but not as supple as I once was. my job involves delivering large hot tubs and equipment. taking off truck, and dragging it into position on a sledge. sometimes there is an old one that needs collected and put back on the truck. items weigh 300-500kgs and we are expected to manage with myself and one other. We have been trained on how to lift signed lots of paperwork. I couldn’t turn down the job as I was in need. The other day I could feel the strain just that second as we lower to the ground or lift from ground. i cant risk share my concern with bosses as i need the job. but worried what will happen if i do put my back out. I work through a temp agency. will I be able to claim any medical cost and compensate for time unable to work if any injury ?

    Ian Morris

    Your employer is obliged to ensure that you are provided with the correct manual handling training to enable you to lift safely and identify items too heavy to lift without assistance or equipment. If your employer fails to provide the same and you sustain injury, you could pursue a claim against their insurance for compensation for the injuries sustained and loss of income.

    In reality, if you are concerned about injury, you should ask your employer for training and see if they are willing to do the right thing.

    Reply

    Around 1 year and 10 months ago, I was working in a storeroom following the correct training methods of lifting, I pulled my back whilst lifting stock. When I injured my back, uninformed on my rights to declare the injury, I asked my peers and supervisors whether I should report my injury to which they said it was unnecessary. Reflecting on their response it was clear they wanted to diffuse me doing so and persuaded me to not feel the need to report it. Since then I have attended a GP and have had sessions to recoup my back issues with physiotherapy.

    I am currently doing my CSCS course and have learned about Health and safety extensively, I feel done wrong by the company, and also that they have not complied by law to report this injury!

    Please could you advise as to whether there is anything I can do?

    Ian Morris

    Your former employer should have recorded your injury at work – regardless of whether they or you were at fault.

    As you appear to have received training from the employer and were following that, it may not be possible to pursue a claim.

    Reply

    I am a Support Worker and support adults with learning difficulties, over the years I have been asked to move heavy furniture from residents rooms up and down the stairs. My back problem started after I was asked to move an electric chair which was heavy, up the stairs. I had to lift it above my head so as to get the chair over the banister rail as I went up the stairs. Since then I have had lower and upper back pain, my ability to twist to the left causes a sharp pain. I have spent over 1000 pounds with a Chiropractor and I’m no better off, except for numbness in my finger and foot which took a month to go. I had a service user who was unable to get out of the bath for many months and I had to lift him out on my own on many occasions, suffice to say this didn’t help my back at all. I asked my manger to get a bath lift or walk in bath and I was told the council wouldn’t pay for that. I have since moved to another house in the company.

    Ian Morris

    It is likely that the item you were asked to lift exceeded the safe lifting limit and the way that your employer was asking you to work was negligent. We actually help quite a few support workers injured in this way.

    Reply

    Hi I have a drop foot problem that I’ve had for over a year. I remember how it happened when lifting a heavy electric recliner sofa. I thought it was a muscle strain so wasn’t reported to the manager, our container operation has had no risk assessments done on tasks that may be carried out. I’ve worked on with it for over a year, the pain has got gradually worse. I emailed my operation director some months ago about the trouble I was having with the injury, she said she would wait for a the retail manager to return from holiday and would set up a meeting that to date hasn’t happened, over two weeks ago I emailed her again asking for occupational health to assess me, as yet nothing has been done and no written response has be made been received.

    Ian Morris

    We would like to speak with you regarding the drop foot injury that you are suffering and the work you do/have done. We would like to know more about what training – if any, the employer has provided and what equipment they provide to help you with safe lifting, as it would appear that you have a valid right to make a claim against them.

    Reply

    I have hurt my back at work, been signed off for a month, been given strong painkillers, only done 2 weeks still have the rest to go, it all happened as the company is not watching there staff to make sure they are doing the right thing and using the right equipment, can I claim?

    Ian Morris

    Please call us on 01225430285 to start your claim. Your employer has a duty of care towards you if you are doing lifting or handling items of weight at work. If the employer has failed in that regard, you have a valid claim for compensation and we would be happy to help you.

    Reply

    I was working in a warehouse and had no experience. They threw me right in, I was being shouted at with no clear instructions telling me I had to move faster. I had to carry heavy items by myself without any training on how to carry items safely and have injured my leg and back. I also fell through a hole between a truck and the warehouse floor as no one warned me there was a hole. There was no wooden pellet being used to cross it. I’m not sure of what the injury is but it feels like a tear in my muscles.

    Ian Morris

    We think that you have a strong case to make a claim for compensation and we would like our Solicitors to act for you in this matter. Your employers appear to have failed to carry out their statutory obligation to ensure that you were appropriately trained, given the correct guidance regarding safe lifting and not warned of an obvious hazard with the hole in the floor of the work area. As such, our Solicitors could mount a claim on the basis of employer negligence and seek compensation for your injuries and any loss of income or other incurred costs caused by the accident at work.

    Reply

    Hi

    For around 6 months I’ve been starting to get pains in the bottom of my back very frequently of mild to moderate pain. Often after lifting something heavy, standing or siting for a long period at a time. I believe this was caused by my job I am constantly lifting boxes around the 25kg mark sometimes more. And also lifting metal bars that can weigh much more than 25kg. We have no assistance to lift the metal bars and can sometimes need to be lifted around 5/6 foot. They are between 3 and 4 meters long. These need to be carried between tight spaces. We had no manual handling training for the first two and a half years and only in the past two months have we been shown a very basic YouTube video. I haven’t gone to the doctors or reported it to work yet do you think I should? What steps do I need to take?

    Ian Morris

    On face value, you have a valid claim that should be further considered in detail by our specialist Solicitors. Your employer is obliged to ensure that you are given proper manual handling training and provided with the correct guidance for how to lift items safely and lifting aids to help with items of heavier weight. As the employer had failed to fulfill these statutory obligations, you may well succeed with a claim.

    It would be sensible to attend your GP to discuss the symptoms and your working regime (you should mention the limited working space and the lack of training and equipment to move heavier items too) and you should also report your symptoms to your employer and query the same issues with them – this would help later on in the process should you make a claim as it will give your Solicitor some evidence to support your claim and help with holding the employer to account.

    We look forward to speaking with you and helping you understand your rights regarding back injury compensation.

    Reply

    The delivery company left a heavy portable air conditioner outside the building and refused to bring it up to the flat, I was not notified this would happen so I had to bring it up myself, up two flights of stairs and the box weighs 32kg and now I aggravated and hurt an already injured back?

    Ian Morris

    Please call us on 01225430285 so that we can take some further details from you and present your enquiry to our specialist Solicitors so that they can consider whether or not you can pursue a claim against the delivery company for the injury to your back.

    Reply

    My work are telling me there changing my job role and it means now using a 40-50 kg generator daily and lifting it on and off the van multiple time’s a day I’m worried my back will go there forcing me into this position if it does go can I make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    You should not be expected to lift an item of such weight without assistance or without equipment to assist with the lifting. Furthermore, you should also receive training for the safe movement of the generator and use of the same. I would recommend that advise your employer in writing that you are deeply concerned about the weight of the item and believe you should have assistance to lift and move it and training regarding the same. If you then sustain injury and the employer has not acted on the fact that you have raised justified concerns, it would greatly help you should any claim then be made.

    Reply

    Hi
    I work offshore and my first shift my back went. I don’t suffer from back pain and a daily gym goer, lifting weights to which i’ve not been able to do.
    Two weeks and my back seemed to be settling. My manager made me lift heavy items as we had food containers to unload. They were coming at me thick and fast. I was told that he couldn’t put me on lighter duties as I was part of a team. While trying to hand me 3 cases of pop and to sort the veg store where bags of potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips etc.. well low and behold my back has started again. Is there anything I can complain about here and how?

    Ian Morris

    Has your employer ever provided you with manual handling training? If so, was the employer allowing you to work in accordance with the training? If not, you should contact us to find out whether we can help you pursue a claim against your employer.

    Reply

    I have been suffering with drop foot for over 11 months, caused at work by lifting and carrying heavy furniture, I’ve had one mri that ruled out a herniated disc, two sets of nerve conduction tests at two different hospitals, I have a additional MRI for the 14th March to find out damage to the sciatic nerve in the lumbar plexus and the consultant has suggested surgery. I did do a manual handling training, but my work base changed where we have worked out one charity shop and store all deliveries in a outside container. There are no risk assessments, or safe operating procedures, health and safety meetings. My consultant has confirmed that the damage is highly likely to be caused by heavy lifting, would I have any cause to make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    Employers must ensure that staff members are made aware as to how to lift safely and they must ensure that the risk of injury in the workplace is minimised. In work places where any lifting is involved (especially where heavy lifting or repetitive lifting forms part of the workload), employers have a duty of care to ensure that their staff are provided with manual handling training, assist equipment to lift items safely and given guidance about safe lifting limits.

    In your case, if your employer has failed to provide training, equipment and guidance you may well be able to hold them liable for the injury you have sustained.

    Reply

    Hi, i have been working as a carer for over three years. I work with one client doing a 24 hour and a 20 hour shift on my own. The client needs hoisted and also as he is in an electric wheelchair sometimes he slides down and i need to lift him back up. When i am in his flat i can use the hoist but when we are out i have to lift him back to a seated position manually. Its only a small lift, but my lower back has really started hurting. I am just worried the damage to my back could be permanent. Can i claim anything for my injuries? I am employed though an agency but with any problems i talk to the client’s parents. I had a manual handling training a year after i started, then another one later but even the trainer said just do your best. Unfortunately i cannot avoid lifting him up and i do it about 15-25 times a day when i am there.
    He is getting a new chair in a few weeks which might solve the problem but my back might not improve.
    Thank you and kind regards
    Agnes

    Ian Morris

    It is important that you make your employers aware of the issues you face and how you are developing pain and discomfort from the lifting you have to do. You should make them aware in writing.

    Hopefully, the employer will act on that and provide updated assessment and training. If nothing changes and your injury worsens or becomes chronic, you could then consider making a claim against the employers insurance cover. It doesn’t matter that you work for an agency.

    Reply

    I injured my back in a work accident lifting a barrel of oil. Work accepted full liability & I have needed spinal fusion with screws/cage leaving me disabled. I am in a predicament as my GP has not recorded my visits correctly so they are saying I cannot claim for my back just a neck strain. I have been so depressed lately with all the stress & not received a settlement letter from work saying sign this agreement to receive monies of around £3000 but will I not be able to pursue a claim for the injury so I just do not know which way to turn.

    Ian Morris

    If your GP has failed to properly record the details of symptoms you have presented with, diagnosis of injuries and treatments provided, you may have a second claim against them for professional negligence.

    Have you had a Solicitor representing you in your claim to date?

    Reply

    What about the injury not due to accident but from lifting 40kg heavy doors on my own every day? Probably my rotator cuff got damaged. Do I put it in accident book? Can I claim?

    Ian Morris

    Any injury at work should be recorded in an accident book. If you are expected to lift an item of 40kg without support or help, your employer is acting negligently and you may succeed with a claim against them.

    Reply

    Hi I’ve been diagnosed with sciatica and in my job I was lifting heavy parasols every day at work. I believe it’s damaged my back completely. I’m off work now since October 2019 on sick. I can’t walk long distances or sit for long periods, it’s effecting my sleep too. I’ve been told I have a disc bulge. I don’t think I can return to work any time soon, i just need advice in what to do regarding a claim to my employer.

    Ian Morris

    To make a claim against your employer for injuries caused through working practices, you would be best served by instructing a specialist Claims Management Company or personal injury Solicitor to represent you in your claim. This is the exact service that we provide and we can assist you with this.

    In your work, you are clearly expected to lift and move items of weight. Has your employer ever provided you with manual handling training or equipment to help you move the items? If not, there may well be a case of employer negligence and it would be suitable to pursue a claim for compensation.

    The most sensible next step would be for you to call us on 01225430285, so that we can fully discuss your situation and the cause of your injury. We can then advise you as to whether or not you have a potential claim. If you do, our team will explain the No Win No Fee process to you and can take some initial instructions and pass your enquiry to our specialist Solicitors for you.

    Nk

    Hi
    Thanks for replying.
    Manual handling was completed but no equipment to help move items. I did also damage my tendon in my arm too from pulling the base of the parasol.

    Ian Morris

    If you would like to make a claim on the basis that the employer has not provided equipment to move the items, please let us know.

    Reply

    Hell I used to work for lowfield distribution on the Asda contract picking ambient goods such as packs of sauces and very heavy goods etc. I’m now a 46 year old man and have been diagnosed with arthritis and many other problems due to the back such as sciatica. This is chronic and effects my every day living as I no longer work. I was mainly a class one lorry driver after this job and looking back this was the only job I used to come home from with an aching back, although I never recorded anything in the accident report book. I strongly feel this was where I suffered my injury from. I was wondering would I have any chance of compensation?

    Ian Morris

    The lack of a report of the injuries/pain at work could be problematic in making a claim. However, you do have the right to make a claim if the employer didn’t provide you with manual handling, trained you to work safely, provided equipment that enabled you to lift and move items safely and had a working environment that enabled training and equipment to be used to minimise the risk of injury.

    Reply

    I strained my back 7weeks ago in work. I did ask someone to put it in book but it never happened, my boss knew but I carried on lifting for another 2weeks before I collapsed in work. I was sent home and was put on the sick for 3weeks, the night before I was going back I slipped in my bathroom and subconsciously thinking not to hurt my back I twisted myself and ended breaking 3 ribs, can I make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    If your employer requires you to lift items, they must ensure that you are provided with manual handling training and given the correct equipment to enable you to work safely (trolleys to move items, assistance with heavier items and the knowledge as to how to identify the weight of items). If the employer has failed in these obligations towards your safety at work, employer negligence may attach and a claim could proceed.

    Reply

    Hello,
    I m working for the industrial company as a Break Press operator for over 9 years. I had a problem with my lower back, it is very painful for last few weeks I can’t sit, sleep, walk properly because of pain and because it is affecting my leg as well. Sometimes I just fall over because I fell something like electric shock in the legs a short strong pain and then I loosing feeling in my legs for a second and keep falling over. I’m gonna see my GP next week and hopefully they will sent me to specialist for a scan etc…
    I had already two accidents recorded in the company book I had hurt my back lifting items and twisting back. As a Press operator I have to manually work with lots of heavy and uncomfortable to lift items it is just normal work (overall I lifting a few tones of steel every night 12 hours shift) because of nature of my work for last 9 years by back are completely ruined, And this job did it to me. I had a training (video about lifting) when I started job, Use a crane for help (but even if I use the crane to put or take item off I have to push if and pull items weight over 300kg when they inside of the machine). I hope you know how a press operator job looks like, and you understand that doing this in heavy duty lifting cause my back condition. I there any chance to claim?

    Ian Morris

    There is certainly a chance to make a claim. There are certain issues our specialist Solicitors would need to consider – when your symptoms started (to ensure that you are within the claim limitation period), what areas of work may your employer have acted negligently towards you and whether you were correctly trained and provided with the right equipment.

    Reply

    I worked for Currys part of the Dixon’s Stores group back in the late 80’s & Early 90’s. As as sales person and later a manager my duties always included manual lifting, often large items such as washing machines and the old style heavy cathode ray tube televisions. Manual lifting was daily due to incoming stock refill and outgoing customer deliveries as well as displaying goods and warehouse duties. I was never trained in manual handling and I now suffer from serious lower back problems. Can I claim?

    Ian Morris

    There is likely to be an issue of both limitation and causation if you were to make a claim. Firstly, to make a claim you MUST do so within 3 years of the onset of any symptoms. Secondly, can you establish a link between the work you were doing and the injury.

    As you mention that you worked for this employer in the late 80’s, that is 30 years ago now. It is likely that you are too late to make a claim.

    Reply

    The company I work for deals with heavy steel items. The only lifting equipment here is a forklift truck, but this machine is not able to access the rear of the workshop. As a result we have to lift all the metal parts by hand. We are all suffering with our backs form this and I am too. One the lumps of metals weights 110kgs, which is lifted by just two of us. I have requesting better lifting equipment and it has been promised but nothing has been done and I am guessing that nothing will be done. I am concerned that one day I am going to lift something and my back will fail. Our boss is a nasty piece of work and he sacks anyone that steps out of line. Please can you advise what options are available to me (us), i.e. suing now for poor working conditions or compensation when my back does eventually break.

    Ian Morris

    UK law is unlikely to enable you to sue the employer for the working conditions, although you should of course report the lifting and lack of suitable equipment to the Health and Safety Executive anonymously and get them to conduct an investigation. You should also ensure that your justified concerns are put to your employer in writing.

    Certainly, if your back is injured in lifting weights of such a size, you would have a valid claim for compensation.

    Reply

    I’m a manger in my job I hurt my back and neck due to heavy lifting. I have never been sent on a manual handling or safety course. Is it my fault as a manager that this has happened? I have told my boss to send me on this course.

    Ian Morris

    Whether or not it is your responsibility to arrange your own training, including health and safety training such as manual handling training will depend on your job description and to what extent you have control over such matters. It is certainly reasonable for you to make a claim against your employer if you have not been given such training as there is a likelihood that such a claim would succeed and we would be happy to assist you in this matter.

    Reply

    I would like some advice with an ongoing lower back pain problem caused by lifting constantly throughout a night shift. I was off work for 3 months with sick notes and physio. I had my work harassing me to get me back to my role which I didn’t feel comfortable with at the time as I wasn’t ready. I have left my role now because I felt I was being pushed into work and was worried that my injury may get worse.

    Ian Morris

    If your former employer failed to provide you with manual handling training, equipment to help with the movement of heavier items (trolleys, hoists etc), then you have a right to make a claim against the employer for the injury caused to your lower back.

    If it is felt that you have a valid claim, our Solicitors will attempt to recover compensation for the pain and discomfort caused by your injury, recover any lost income relevant to the injury and also any incurred expenses or losses.

    Reply

    Hi i hurt my back at work pulling a heavy load across the floor, approx 150 kilos, the only ppe given was gloves, glasses, hard hat and high vis vest, no back support as i felt maybe should have been provided but wasn’t. i’m suffering with severe lower back pain, i have a doctor’s appointment next week to see the extent of the injury.

    Ian Morris

    150 kgs is a considerable weight and should be moved appropriately. An employer needs to ensure that the staff moving such a weight have had both manual handling training, but are also provided with the appropriate equipment to move such an item safely. In this case, the item should have been on some sort of trolley or pallet truck. It is likely that there should have had 2 persons moving it also.

    We would be happy to help you make your claim and would recommend that you ensure that an accident book entry is made with the employer. Please call us on 01225430285 or ask us to call you to find out how we can help and learn more about your options.

    Reply

    Hi, I had an extra large delivery of crates of drinks that I had put away last xmas, I have received manual training a long time ago with them but due to the amount of stock and repetitive work of lifting this has lead me to having a back operation and nerve damage I am nearly a year on and still having problems as do not have full sensation in my leg. I am a manager for the company, I am 47 and was fit and regularly attended the gym previous to this. Could I claim? Many thanks

    Ian Morris

    Your employer may have done all that would be expected of them by providing manual handling training. If so, you may struggle to pursue a claim.

    However, your employer may be seen to have acted negligently depending on the nature of the work you were undertaking and the working environment and pressures placed upon you to work at speed or lift too many items or items of excess weight. To this end, our Solicitors would be happy to consider the merits of your claim enquiry and advise you further as to whether or not they can take this matter forward for you.

    Reply

    Hello, yesterday I injured my back whilst unloading a delivery in my workplaces loading bay.
    I was unloading a different van when another van and it’s driver lost control of a roll cage and it flew off the tail lift hitting me in the back – I had my back towards the tail lift facing the other van.
    Luckily It was empty but it still hurt.
    I carried on work as normal for the rest of my shift.
    The incident is on tape but not sure if it has been logged in the accident book.

    I woke up this morning in pain but decided I was fit enough go to work.
    I completed my shift again today but now it’s really starting to hurt.

    Ian Morris

    You have valid grounds to pursue a claim for compensation from the employers insurance cover – we can certainly help you in pursuing your claim. However, before you do, you need to do two things to protect your interests and give your claim the maximum prospects of succeeding.

    Firstly, ensure that the incident is properly recorded within an accident book. If you struggle to have the employer record it, you should make your own written report and email a copy to your line manager and you should also request that the CCTV footage is retained.

    Secondly, you should make a GP appointment to discuss your injury. The symptoms you describe could well indicate that you have suffered a soft tissue injury and it is common for the symptoms of such injuries to become more evident over 24/48 hours post incident. As such, the fact that you are hurting more this evening than you were yesterday makes sense.

    Reply

    I have suffered a back injury at work.

    Can I claim for a bad back due to pushing 2 ton reels along to the crane position? These reels were deemed safe for 2 people to push but has caused me discomfort and have been off work for last couple of weeks. I have all evidence and everything is logged. Now the employer is extending the crane but the damage is already done to my back.

    Ian Morris

    Were you pushing/moving the reels alone or with a colleague? If something is a two tonne weight, it is hard to understand how they could be deemed safe for a 2 person team to move – unless specific equipment was provided to reduce the burden on the individuals in question.

    Given the substantial weight of the items you were moving, I feel that your situation warrants further specialist consideration by our expert Solicitors. The appropriate thing to do with your claim enquiry is for our team to have a brief chat with you to take some initial basic information so that we can then submit your enquiry to our specialist Solicitors to consider and then contact you directly for a detailed discussion with you with a view to making a claim for compensation for the injury you have sustained to your back.

    Reply

    I worked at a fuel station and had to unload stock that was delivered on a pallet by cash and carry. After unloading the stock, I used to leave the pallet on the floor, but was told by one of the bosses to move it out of the way of the front of the shop to the wall which was approx 10-12m away. The pallet weighed 28kg and I lifted it onto my right side and hurt my back doing so. We had no accident book or procedures, so I wrote the details of my injury in in the staff hand over book and told my useless manager too. However, the following week I was made to unload 2 pallets of stock despite my injury which was further aggravated, so I went to see the GP as an emergency appointment (I was not able to get an appointment earlier).

    The GP did me a sick note to say no heavy lifting as I was happy to go work but no lifting. Again stock day came 3 days after giving my sick note and the big boss asked why I wasn’t bringing all the stock in (they expected us to serve customers and do stock asap), so I explained that I had a sick note and I was told that as I couldn’t do my duties and as I was a week off my 6 month probationary period ending, I would be let go, so I left on my own accord as I was not going to be bullied but also due to the lack of care the employer showed for their employees – which is frankly ridiculous.

    It’s now September and I still have a sick note as I’m not fit for work since as my back hurts from sitting or standing for any prolonged period. I get sciatic pain which is intermittent. The MRI scan I have had didn’t show anything and my GP only made a referral for physiotherapy some 5 months after my accident. So my first physiotherapy appointment is not until this October.

    Ian Morris

    The key issue here is that you appear to have been caused injury through employer negligence and as such, you should pursue a claim against your former employer for the injury you have sustained and the associated losses incurred.

    The pallet that you were asked to move alone was 28kg’s which exceeds the safe lifting limit of 25kg’s which indicates your employer was negligent towards your health and safety at work in preventing back injuries. Further, if your employer failed to provide you with manual handling training so that you could work safely and know what you could or could not lift or move, the employer will have a tough time defending any claim you may go on to make.

    We would certainly like to help you make a claim for compensation for your injury and feel that on face value, you have a valid claim that should be presented to our specialist Solicitors for detailed consideration.

    Reply

    I work a retail job, where it involves carrying 20-40 boxes 3/4 times a week. I haven’t been trained on how to lift boxes in the right manner, and due to this I’ve been experiencing back pains for a week now. I’ve booked an appointment with my local GP, however Is there anything legally that I can do?

    Ian Morris

    Your employer has a legal obligation to ensure that you are able to work in a safe manner and that the risk of injury at work is minimised. Therefore, the employers failure to provide you with adequate manual handling training will be seen as employer negligence and therefore you should make a claim for compensation against the employer. We can help you with this – please call us on 01225430285 or use our online options to make contact.

    Reply

    I would like to ask you if there is a maximum weight your allowed to lift at work? I work in a job where we are expected to lift 80kg weights. I am the strongest on our site and am often expected to do this alone as the other staff are unable to do so. This seems excessive to me and often leaves me with a sore lower back. Where would I stand if I injured myself?

    Ian Morris

    Lifting weights of 80kg without assistance or equipment is unsafe and would see your employer struggling to defend a claim if you sustain injury. You mention that you are already suffering occasional symptoms with your lower back and you need to be extremely careful as injury may already have occurred. You should make a report at work of your back injury and the lifting and seek medical attention before making your claim for compensation.

    In most cases, employees would not be expected to lift an item exceeding 25kg without having assistance or equipment to aid the lifting.

    Reply

    Hi
    I work in a call centre and been employed by same employer for quite some years. They are aware that I have degenerative discs and after years of asking was finally given a raised desk. However the damage is done and being sat down for 35 hours a week took its toll. I’ve had nerve blocks which worked at first but not anymore and have had quite a few instances off work due to chronic back pain and now sciatica daily. My back consultant says the only thing left is to have surgery, decompression and a wallis implant. I wouldn’t have got to this state if I had been given a desk where I could stand up at on first asking years ago!
    Where do I stand as they aren’t happy I will have to take more time off after operation 6-8 weeks and only in SSP?

    Ian Morris

    There is the potential to make a claim, but it is not without difficulty given the nature of the injury and issues you’d face in the claim. The defendant is likely to argue that you have a degenerative condition and not one that they caused. They will argue with you on issues of causation. Also, you could face a problem with claim limitation. You have 3 years to make a claim under UK personal injury law and it could be that your 3 years is already up – depending on when you began to suffer symptoms and when you first attended your GP regarding this problem.

    Reply

    Hi I’m 24 years old man working in an offsite building company. My job is to assemble the panels. Basically I have to lift steel poles (over 40kg and 3m length) and put them in tracks almost everyday. No assistance provided and it’s all manual . Due to repetitive movements I developed a shoulder muscle imbalances which causes a pain also a pain in my lower back. We never had actual Manual handling training but I think we signed a form which said we did. And even if I was working in safe manner but repetitive movements of heavy lifting (sometimes 50 poles a day) lead me in to that. What should be my further steps?

    Ian Morris

    UK law would not only require your employer to provide you with adequate manual handling training, but would also require the employer to ensure that you have a working environment that enables you to follow such training.

    Whilst your employer is likely to cite the piece of paper you have signed regarding training to claim that they have provided you with adequate guidance for safe lifting, it is clear that they have put you at risk of injury by the way that they expect you to lift an item of 40kg’s without support or help.

    You need to make sure that an injury report is given to your work (accident book or similar) outlining your injury and the work you have been doing. We would be happy to help you make a claim for compensation on a No Win No Fee basis. Please contact us to start your claim or to find out how we can help you.

    Dovydas

    Thank you for a reply, my only concern that the company gonna twist things that it’s my fault that I did not ask for a help, but it’s very hard to get someone to help you because of lack of space and a position the steel parts need to be stacked and in fact it’s even more dangerous to lift them by two people because of uneven weight distribution. My company is really dodgy, before they used to hire only polish guys who can’t speak English to abuse them in bad working conditions, now things getting a little better but the management is almost the same and I think they gonna find a way to get around it.

    Ian Morris

    Your concern about your employer acting in a dishonest way should not prevent you from pursuing a claim if you believe that you are in the right. You should document any issues and obtain evidence where possible (by taking photographs etc) to strengthen your claim so that should you pursue action in due course, the employer is confronted with strong evidence.

    You do have 3 years to make a claim, so you do have the option of obtaining the evidence needed and securing new employment elsewhere before you start your claim.

    Reply

    Hello
    I was a nurse for 37 years & I worked in physical disabilities for 16 years – lifting patients was the norm & although we did have various pieces of equipment, training was very limited compared to the later part of my career, moving & handling techniques were very invasive & involved actually ‘bodily’ lifting patients, which today is utterly not allowed, it was just how things were back then but it had huge physical consequences for me & I have experienced many back issues one resulting in a slipped disc which I had to have emergency surgery for 7 years ago. I have since suffered many short term episodes of severe back pain which is difficult to manage – These flare ups are now causing me issues within my work & i may have to consider retirement – how do I stand with getting compensation for my historical issues?
    Thank you

    Ian Morris

    The main issue that will get in the way of any claim that you may wish to make will be one of limitation. Whilst your ‘injuries’ flare up and cause ongoing problems, you were aware some years ago of the problems you face as you mention having surgery 7 years ago. Therefore, any claim will likely be statute barred as you must pursue any claim within 3 years of the date of an injury or the date you became aware of an injury.

    Reply

    I’ve been lifting 50kg at work for ten years. My employer has sacked me I now want to see if I can claim because I have a bad back every other day. I think I put it in the accident book a couple of years ago. I didn’t suffer every day because I was a supervisor and didn’t lift every day. But my new job involves lifting for 10 hours a day and I’m in constant pain.

    Ian Morris

    You can look in to making a claim on the basis of being asked to lift and move dangerous items of excessive weight. The issue you may have is one of limitation and being out of time.

    Reply

    Hi I am a nurse and first injured my back/slipped a disc whilst driving to a patient’s house. I went over an enormous speed bump in the dark which resulted in left to right, right to left motion – I couldn’t get out of bed the next day. This was five years ago. I have had to be careful about how I do things ever since. Subsequently I recently took three weeks off work after hurting my back dealing with my mothers freezer. When I returned to work my back was pain free. The first night back at work I had to deal with a patient falling out of bed, to prevent this I had to physically manoeuvre them back onto the bed twice during the night. Now my back Is painful again and I feel back to square one. What’s the best thing to do please?

    Ian Morris

    There is clearly a pre-existing issue with your back and one that your employer is aware of. Whether or not the employer could be held liable for exacerbating your condition is far from clear. If you are not fit to do the nursing work you have trained for, your only option is to seek an alternative role – either elsewhere or within the current employers workplace and it is unlikely that you could hold your employer liable for your situation.

    Reply

    Hi
    I am a warehouse worker employed in a small warehouse company where there is an awful lot of lifting and carrying. I have been lifting bags of items packed which weigh between 15 and 25 kgs and as a result have picked up a back injury which has forced me to take time off. The problem is the repetitive moving of the weights which can be up to 50 bags per day being picked up from ground level moved from the packing workstation up to the despatch area manually by hand as there are no lifting aids and then hand lifting again from the warehouse despatch area on to the collecting vehicle. There is also lifting of boxes that are regularly over 25 kgs in weight that are carried by warehouse workers including myself again without any lifting or moving equipment such as a trolley. The only moving equipment in the warehouse is a pump truck for moving of pallets. I have been forced to hand in my notice from this employment after 4 years working there. This is due to me physically struggling with the job, i am now 55. No employee in this company has ever been trained in lifting and handling of loads. I consider this to be employee negligence. Do you think i have a case for complaint? The bad back injury came on overnight so have not filled in accident book as at the time there was no apparent injury suffered. As i said it is an accumulated injury to the repetitive lifting of heavy items.

    Ian Morris

    Given the apparent lack of training and guidance in terms of safe manual handling and the apparent lack of equipment to move heavy items safely (trolleys etc), it would appear that your employer has been negligent towards your health and safety.

    Before you leave the company, you should make a written complaint/report to them regarding why you have left and the injury/pain to your back. You should make mention of the lack of training, the repeated heavy lifting and the fact that you are expected to lift items exceeding 25kgs without assistance.

    We work on a No Win No Fee basis and given your description of the situation, my initial view is that you have a valid claim for compensation.

    Reply

    Hi, I’ve been off work for 5 weeks from my warehouse job with nerve and back pain due to excessive lifting on my own at work. They have now served me my notice. They have provided no manual handling training and put pressure on you to work faster and expect to lift 30kg plus on your own.

    Ian Morris

    Your employer had an obligation to ensure that you could work safely and that the risk of injury was minimised. For this reason, employers must provide adequate manual handling training to their staff in any workplace where lifting and moving of items is a requirement. Clearly in a workplace like a warehouse, lifting and moving is a pre-requisite of any employees duties and for your employer to not provide you with manual handling training is likely to see them found liable of employer negligence. As you have suffered a debilitating injury to your back as a result of your employers negligence, you have a valid right to make a claim for worplace injury compensation.

    Please use our ‘start a claim’ page or call us on 01225430285 to speak with our staff.

    Reply

    Hi, I have been lifting plaster board at work on my own which is clearly stated on the boards to have two people carrying them as they are over 25kg. I now have had two weeks off work and will most likely continue to have some more time of work. The last two weeks have been a struggle as I and my partner have 5 children. I am also self-employed and sub contracted. Is there any leg to stand on with a claim?

    Ian Morris

    Self-Employed workers do have a right to claim compensation, but it can be harder to prove negligence against a contractor or company that has employed the self-employed worker.

    It is important that you make sure that your injury is recorded at work and that the cause of your injury (working alone to lift items exceeding 25kgs) are noted with the employer.

    The best course of action would be to use the ‘start a claim’ page of our website to make further contact with us so that we can look further in to making a claim for you.

    Reply

    Hi my name is darren. I work in a builders yard. I previously had back pain from my job as a carpenter. But since working here my problems have got a lot worse, due to the over weight products I lift and the height of the racks to which they go in. Health and safety have been notified about the poor working situation and keep leading us on saying it will get fixed. Nothing has been done. I’m in constant pain and sometimes I can hardly move. I’m really struggling to cope outside of work and feel hopeless due to the pain. And I also feel like I’m being managed out due to my problem.

    Ian Morris

    Given that you have had trouble with your back for a while, it is important that you look further in to making a claim for compensation at the earliest opportunity. You have 3 years from the date of an injury in which you can make a claim for compensation and given that you mention some back pain previously, your claim period could be well underway.

    If your employer has not provided you with any manual handling, has a working environment that makes safe working impossible or very difficult and they’ve asked you to lift and move items of excess weight, you most likely have a claim.

    Reply

    Hi I hurt my back 6 months ago at work without having manual handling or any other training on how to lift. I slipped a disc and twisted my spine. I Let my boss know & went to my GP and then went to A&E, but didn’t put it in the report book. Would I still have a claim?

    Ian Morris

    The lack of an accident book entry could make life more difficult with regards to a claim for compensation, but it wouldn’t in and of itself prevent you from succeeding with a claim for compensation.

    An accident book entry is one of the forms of evidence that can be used to support a claim for personal injury compensation. In this case, there is also an obligation on the employer to have evidence to support their defence of any claim – such as providing training records to show that they had fulfilled their obligations and trained you properly to work safely. As they are unlikely to be able to provide the same, there is still a chance that your claim for the slipped disc could succeed.

    Reply

    Good afternoon, I am a nurse in a nursing home, I am currently 6 months pregnant and I am now expected to carry out the duties of a carrer as we have reduced staff levels, i have not had any manual handling training, i have been with the company for just over 3 months, i have been experiencing very painful back symtoms since having to carry out manual handling and am being fourced to take my maternity leave early because of my difficulties. Where do i stand in regards to this matter?
    Kind regards.

    Ian Morris

    You need to make sure that the back pain you are suffering with is reported to the employer and recorded within your employers accident book. You should also make a report – in writing – regarding the lack of manual handling training and make a Doctors appointment to discuss the back pain.

    Reply

    I work in the nhs and hurt my back removing the end off an operating table, the muscles in my neck and back were pulled badly I have had physio, this hasn’t helped and I have had to cut down my hours of work because of this. I was off work for three and a half months, I am now back at work on a phase to return but finding it difficult to do my job as it’s very demanding at times, do you think I have a claim?

    Ian Morris

    To succeed with a claim for compensation from the nhs for the injury to your back, we would need to establish negligence against the employer and show that the injury was avoidable. In this case, we need to know how you were injured and whether there was a fault with the operating table end that caused you to be injured or whether the end of the table was heavy and you were unaware of this as a risk of injury.

    If you could elaborate further on these points, I can advise you further as to whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation.

    Angela

    The injury wasn’t avoidable the operating table end is heavy . I was injured by taking the end off the table two other people had to push the button either side for me to be able to take the end of the table off, this resulted in me injuring my back as I pulled it off.

    Reply

    Hi 2 weeks ago I was lifting a whacker plate into the van as we do every night, however this night the whacker was wet and slipped from my hands. I jolted my back as it slipped. I went to the doctors the next after being sent home by the owner because of the pain, not been to work since, had bloods done, mri scan sun just gone. Slipped disc, no accident reported though as it was the last thing to do before we went home and we work on several sites but it was witnessed, just wondered where i stand?

    Ian Morris

    You should make a report of the incident and describe what happened (as you have in your comment here), with specific mention of no handles to lift the item and send that to your employer in writing.

    You are likely to have a valid claim for compensation for the slipped disc you have sustained and we would like to help you pursue your claim. If successful, you would be able to claim compensation for the injury and importantly recover any lost income or incurred costs relevant to the injury.

    Your employer has a duty of care to ensure that you are trained in safe lifting and that you are not expected to lift heavy items without adequate training or assistance. In your case, the lack of any such training and handles to lift the whacker plate could well see the employers insurance having to admit liability.

    Please use the ‘start your claim’ section of our website to make further contact with us.

    Reply

    I worked in a convenience store 5 years ago. I was unloading a delivery in limited space area, when on last few items my back really twinned in resulting me to take time off work through my GP. To this day I am still suffering, ongoing GP visits, now for the 2nd visit to Physio Gym sessions, 4 more to go. It is constantly painful, annoying as it inhibits my movement on bad days. I work now as a cleaner. I am mobile and I cope with the pain, discomfort with pain killers. It’s when I stop i feel it more. As I relax I get constarted spasms in my lower muscles when I move.

    Ian Morris

    Unfortunately, it would appear that you are now out of limitation with regards to taking action against your former employer. UK Personal Injury Compensation law applies a strict claim limitation period of 3-years from the date of an injury in which a claim must be made.

    Reply

    I hurt my back through lifting a patient in work. I use a mangar elk lifting cushion, i was doing this with a colleague but had to lift the patient from the mangar elk and my back went. I have had back problems since this happened in july 2016, i have a left sided paracental disc extrusion at L5/S1 and suffer with my back regularly.

    Ian Morris

    If you believe that your employer was negligent and failed to provide the correct equipment and training/support to allow you to work safely and minimise the risk of injury, you could seek to make a claim for compensation.

    Reply

    I carried a empty blue pallet approx 10 meters and hurt my back. The following week I was in dispute when telling the manager. I had to unload 2 pallets which further aggravated my back even more. At work, we don’t have a pallet pump and have no accident book (it is a service station too).

    It’s been 2 weeks since the injury now and the pain hasn’t gone but got worse. I’ve been to see the GP who has issued a sick note for light duties. We are told to move the pallet as it’s dropped off by cash and carry to front of shop on forecourt in the way.

    Ian Morris

    Your employers failure to provide training in manual handling lifting and equipment (pallet truck) to move this item is likely to be seen as employer negligence. As such, my initial view is that you have a valid claim for compensation. Given the lack of an accident book at work, I feel that you should put something in writing to your employer (perhaps in email or by letter) outlining what happened to your back and the lack of a pump trolley.

    We would be very happy to pursue a claim for you in this matter and I therefore invite you to use the ‘start a claim’ page of our website to take this further.

    Reply

    I injured my back over a year ago whilst trying to pull a heavy pallet over a badly iced up trailer have prolapsed disc and bad sciatica still struggle to drive, so I can’t return to my driving job for the foreseeable future. I have been on full pay luckily, although the impact psychologically has really had an affect on me. Do have I grounds to claim? I don’t want to, but I see no end in sight to my pain at the moment. I’m awaiting spinal injections or possible surgery.

    Ian Morris

    My initial view is that you are likely to have a valid claim against your employer. Whilst they have paid you – which is very good to read – you could still pursue a claim for the pain, distress and discomfort caused by the injury and also, should your employer stop paying you, you would also be able to recover any loss of income or future loss of income should you be unable to return to work.

    Indeed, with this in mind it would be wise to pursue a claim before you are out of legal limitation as you must protect your own interests and future.

    Pete

    Thankyou very much for the reply the issue I have is If I claim and they stop paying I will find myself unable to pay my bills and mortgage which is putting me off as I’d lose my house.

    Ian Morris

    Your concerns regarding a loss of income after an accident is one shared by the majority of claimants.

    If an employer does stop paying a staff member when they are off work, it is not because they are making a claim for compensation, but because they are not at work. As we have stated previously, the law does not oblige an employer to pay usual salaries to staff who are away from work due to illness or injury – even if the absence is due to an incident that happened at work.

    If you do lose income, the only way to recover that is by making a claim for compensation and succeeding with it. Any successful claim would allow you to obtain a settlement for the injuries sustained and also recover any lost income and incurred costs by way of the special damages element of your claim.

    Reply

    I have worked as a kitchen assistant for 17 years. I got a note off my doctor to say that I can only lift up to 10 kg as I have spondylosis and sciatica and lower back pain. I have reduced my working hours from 20 hours a week to 16 hours. I also had an additional cleaning job for 20 hours for 8 years which I have had to leave because of the pain. My manager knows about my medical condition but I am not getting any additional help.

    Ian Morris

    Sadly, if you are no longer fit to carry out the duties that you were employed to do, your employer is not obliged to retain your services. An employer may provide light duties if they are able to do so but if not, they will have to go through due process with you before terminating your employment.

    Reply

    I hurt my back while at work helping a driver unload a lorry, I recorded this in the work accident book, I have never receved manual handling training regarding my role even though some heavy lifting is involved, do I have a good claim for compensation?

    Ian Morris

    My initial response in your situation is that you have a very strong claim against your employer. Manual Handling training is given to enable employees to work safely and to minimise the risk of painful injuries to the back when lifting is involved.

    As your employer has failed to provide you with such training despite the requirements of your work to perform lifting duties, employer negligence would attach and you should pursue a claim against them.

    Please call us on 01225430285 if you would like to take this claim further.

    Reply

    Hi there I worked for a skip hire company for 8 years, my job was separating all the materials from the emptied skips. This involved lifting, twisting and throwing in different directions heavy items included boilers, washing machines, stone and heavy metals. On average I was lifting 4 tons of material every day. I suddenly developed back pain and was unable to move. I have 2 herniated discs in my lumbar spine and 1 in my neck which I will soon be getting surgery for. Also no lifting and handling training was ever given. Do you get awarded more money for multiple Herniation or is it the same as just one?

    Ian Morris

    If you have suffered this injury within the last 3 years, you should make a claim for compensation against the employer as their failure to provide you with training and a safe working environment is employer negligence.

    Regarding a possible settlement value, when you make a claim for compensation the appropriate value of your claim will be reached on the basis of medical evidence of the injuries sustained. Therefore if you have more than one injury, the value of the claim would be higher than if you just had one.

    Reply

    My partner injured his back at work lifting something that was far too heavy and in an awkward position, he has since had one operation and is waiting to have another. The accident was last Aug, his employer is now ending medical insurance payments the end of this month also his contract of employment, meaning he wont be able to have the second op privately. They suggested that we take over the insurance but it will cost £400 a month which is impossible as we are family of five with a mortgage and now no real income, how do we stand?

    Ian Morris

    The employer may well be within their rights to cease the insurance payments and even terminate your partner’s position of employment if he is unfit for work and all correct procedures to attempt to return to work by the employer (including looking at a job change) have been exhausted.

    The situation you are now in, including having to deal with a loss of wages as a result of an accident at work is one of the key things that leads people to having to consider making a claim as this is likely to be your partner’s only option of recovering any loss of income and accessing funding for private treatments.

    If your partner’s employer failed to provide adequate training or didn’t correctly mark the weight of heavy items then it is likely that employer negligence would attach and he could succeed with a claim for compensation to recover damages for his injuries, costs for medical treatments and any lost income.

    Reply

    I lifted a heavy pallet at work and i injured my muscles, the doctor said i have tendonitis. Can i sue my employer?

    Ian Morris

    Under UK Law, employers have a statutory duty to ensure that the risk of injury to all staff is minimised so far as practically possible. Therefore, if an employer requires employees to perform lifting duties, they are obliged to ensure that the staff are provided with manual handling training to reduce the risk of lifting related injuries, along with being given appropriate equipment and tools to lift heavy items.

    If your employer hasn’t provided you with training, you could seek to make a claim against them on the grounds of inadequate manual handling training, which is likely to succeed on the basis of employer negligence.

    Reply

    I injured my lower back at work 15 months ago. I have had to see my Doctor every month since then and have been off work for the last 8 months. I made a claim with a Solicitor, but recently they told me that the employers insurance have denied liability. I only had a 5 min chat regarding health and safety and they crossed my accident out in their accident book. Do you think I have still got a claim?

    Ian Morris

    The fact that the defendant insurers have denied liability indicates that it is going to be a struggle to succeed with your claim for back injury compensation against the employer. Given that you have already instructed a Solicitor, you should discuss the denial of liability with them and make clear your comments regarding your view that the employer failed to provide adequate training to you.

    As your injury is to the back, we assume it was caused as a result of lifting at work. All employers have a duty of care to ensure that all staff are shown how to lift and move items safely and must ensure that manual handling training is provided to all staff to reduce the risk of injury as far as possible.

    If your employer failed to provide such training you should appeal to the defendant insurer regarding this issue.

    Reply

    I’m a hgv driver working for a removal company, about 11 months ago (April 2017 approx), I lifted something heavy and I twisted my back. From then I have good days and bad days with pain. This continued until December when the pain began to go down to my left leg (sciatica). I have attempted a few treatments without improvements and now because of the pain, I can’t drive and I have to take painkillers just to go to work. The employers have given me light work but the injury still hurts. I’m waiting now for an MRI scan. This injury and pain has stopped me from enjoying my life and playing with my kids as I did before, because every time I am active in anyway, I then have to lay in bed to recover and it seems to be getting worse everyday. I would like to know if I can do a claim. Thank you.

    Ian Morris

    You would have a claim for compensation if your employer has either failed to provide you with Manual Handling Training and create a working enviornment that allows you to work in accordance with safe lifting guidelines and the use of equipment such as trolleys to lift and move heavy items. If your employer hasn’t ticked all of these boxes, you may well have a claim for compensation.

    Even if your employer has provided such training, you could still claim successfully if the nature of the work means that you can’t work or lift safely. I would strongly suggest that we speak with you to find out more and help you understand your rights.

    Reply

    Hi, I’ve worked for a photography company for 13 years now, different destinations everyday so I have a portable studio, lights, backdrops, printer, boxes of paper amongst other things. I class the equipment as heavy and every time we seem to renew an item it doesn’t benefit us at all always seems things are getting heavier. When I started if I’m remembering correctly I was given a couple of sheets of paper in my company manual on how to correctly lift and about 3 years ago 10 years on from my start date we had a very speedy 30 min conversation with a health and safety person at our main head office regarding lifting and cables etc.
    Now I have just been through surgery to get a disc in my neck replaced due to prolapsed disc. I do believe this is work related and would like to know if my employer is responsible due to lack of manual handling training. I have suffered with the neck problems for a couple of years now but always put it down the strain of carrying the equipment and packing hundreds of envelopes a day. Then eventually it became more apparent it was disc damage resulting in nerve damage which after surgery has not returned yet, but early days.
    Look forward to some knowledgeable advice.

    Ian Morris

    Employers have a statutory duty to ensure that all staff are given adequate training, support and advice that will enable them to work safely and with the risk of injury minimised so far as practically possible. Clearly, in your job you do lift and move items regularly and given what you have said about the very infrequent and arguably insufficient training you have had with regards to moving and lifting the equipment you need for your work, we think that your enquiry is something that should be escalated and placed before our expert workplace injury Solicitors for consideration.

    We will need to have a brief initial chat with you on the telephone to obtain some basic outline information in order that we can then identify the right specialist Solicitor for you to speak with.

    Reply

    I am working for a dairy and got injured while helping the supervisor to load a calf. I have suffered slipped discs which popped to the front. I was holding the calf on both back legs while he held on to the one front leg. We lifted the calf and were nearly to the top when the calf twisted the front of it’s body and fell to the ground which twisted me (as I was standing lined up straight to load). My back was aching and I thought maybe I had just hurt a muscle, so I my told supervisor that my back hurt and he said he does not have time for this.

    I continued to work and complained about my back not realising the extent of the damage. Eventually, I went to see a GP and she told me that I had got a slipped disc and signed me off work as a result. After some rest, I returned to work but the pain has returned and is not going away at all. I was on leave for the Christmas period in which time I saw another Doctor and he said that I have a serious problem as the slipped discs are pinching the nerves and at the end and that I need to see whether a chiropractor can help. When I returned to work, I asked the company for an ‘IOD’ form and with my Doctors letter, I also wrote a report as to what had happened but no one asked me about it or assisted me with any help. So far, I have asked 3 times for an IOD form in which I received a form that was not filled in at all. I have asked my supervisor what I must do with this form as its all still not filled in.

    I was supposed to start with physiotherapy after having seen 3 Doctors as I cant sleep with the pain. I am working with pain, waking up with pain and sleeping with it too. I have explained to my regional Boss as to what the problem was and showed them my x-ray of the bone that popped forward and what the damage is. I also discussed that if the injury is left untreated the nerves could get damaged further and this particular nerve has the function of controlling the bladder etc, which could result in me having no control over those functions anymore. Despite all of this, I have still had no assistance from anyone at work. My supervisor told me that I brought this on myself – even though I was helping him.

    The only experience I have of how to handle this is from knowing that when an ex-partner of mine was injured at work, his employers helped him and told him what he should do and where to go. My back is aching and I try sometimes to carry on like normal but it hurts me a lot.

    Ian Morris

    This sounds like a clear cut case of employer negligence. The way that they have asked you to lift a live animal would appear to be in breach of safe manual handling guidance and as such, you could well have a valid claim for accident at work compensation. We have an article on slipped disc injuries at work which will give you an idea of possible compensation amounts.

    Reply

    I work for an agency as a Ltd company hgv driver. On a recent job I hurt my lower back and have lost 5 work days so far due to the muscular injury. I was using a pump truck in the rear of a trailer and hurt my back whilst unloading some large pallets of frozen produce weight approx 1 tonne in weight each.
    I never received any training but did have to sign a load of paperwork on day 1. I’m not quite sure what I signed. Unloading the truck in this way was something that happened pretty regular.
    I went to my doctors and was told I had pulled the main muscles at the lower back area. I’ve also since had to go back for a prescription for pain killers.
    I am still off work due to my back issue although it is getting easier day by day.
    I’m looking to see if the agency or the client I worked at are liable for my lost revenue and back issues.

    Ian Morris

    It looks as though your employer has been negligent towards your health and safety and failed to carry out their statutory requirement to provide adequate manual handling training to you. As such, it would seem that you have a valid claim for accident at work compensation.

    Reply

    Hi I injured my back lifting at work I was signed off by the doctor for 3 weeks. I returned to work and couple weeks later the injury had returned. My employer had shown me a manual handling video the day after I injured myself. I have had to leave the job as I am unable to work due to my lower back injury.

    Ian Morris

    The failure of your former employer to provide you with adequate manual handling training before you sustained an injury is an act of employer negligence and would give you good prospects of succeeding with a claim for back injury at work compensation against the employer.

    The fact that they showed you a manual handling training video the day after you sustained a back injury does not alter this fact as employers must provide manual handling training to employees tasked with lifting and moving items before they are placed at risk and in this case, your employer has failed to do that. As such, we believe that you have a viable and strong claim against that employer. As such, we invite you to contact us for further assistance as we would like to pursue your back injury at work compensation claim.

    Reply

    I was injured at work back in January whilst lifting 2500mm of stainless steel. It should have been a 2 man job, but my employer never have the manpower or anyone available to help me, so I did it on my own (like I have had to do hundreds of times before). However, this time as I turned the steel, it gripped the bed and I felt the pain shoot up my back and in to my legs. I’m at hospital every other week having physiotherapy on my back. I lost the job as I was signed off sick for over 26 weeks and I am now trying to survive on E.S.A. I was wondering what can I do if I have a case ?

    Ian Morris

    You describe what would seem to be a clear case of employer negligence here, with specific regard to the employers attitude towards manual handling and the lifting and moving of extremely heavy items.

    Given what you have described, my view is that you have a valid claim for accident at work compensation and that you should pursue this immediately. I would be very happy to assist you in getting this up and running and would only need a few minutes on the phone with you to obtain the initial information needed to enable me to get the right specialist back injury at work compensation Solicitor to pursue your claim for you.

    The fact that you have been off work for over 26 weeks indicates that you have clearly suffered a nasty back injury. If successful with a claim for compensation, you would not only be able to claim compensation for the injury sustained but also for the loss of income that this injury has caused.

    Reply

    My husband has hurt his back lifting at work, he did not report it but he is now on sick due to it. He is agency, he phoned the employer to say he hurt his back last Friday the 18th. he’s been in terrible pain since and is now not earning.

    Ian Morris

    Whether or not you work via an agency or directly for an employer, all workers are afforded the same rights to health and safety and also to any possible claim for compensation when an employer has failed in their duty of care towards health and safety at work. In this case, did the employer provide training with regards to lifting and moving items (manual handling training)? Did they provide assistance or equipment to lift heavy items? Was the working environment and practices such that it made safe lifting impossible?

    I think it best that we speak with your Husband directly to find out more about the work and what happened as he may well have a valid claim for compensation that would – if he was successful with the claim – enable him to recover any lost income as well as compensation for the injury.

    Reply

    I fell down some metal fire exits stairs and hurt my back , as cleaners we have to carry heavy bedding loads up 3 flights of metal stairs which we end up doing about 3 cages of bedding to be carried up 3 flights of metal stairs , I fell down the stairs and hurt my back , who is at fault ?

    Ian Morris

    We have a very similar accident at work claim under process at this moment in time, with the case resting on whether the requirement to carry heavy bags of linen up the stairs prevents workers from working safely.

    If you are being expected to carry items up 3 flights of stairs, it is important that you can see clearly when you are carrying the items. Further, steps are a known and foreseeable hazard so there is a case for holding the employer liable in this incident. Of course, they may have a sound defence in that there may not be an alternative route available or method (lift) to get the linen to the upper floors. However, they may well not have adequately risk assessed the stairs or made you adequately aware of the risks.

    We would be keen to look further in to this case for you with a view to helping you claim accident at work compensation.

    Reply

    Im 31 years old, i work for a major distribution company as a warehouse operative, i have been off work for 2 weeks now with severe back pain and sciatic nerve pain, had multiple cases of incontinence, been to a&e twice, second time with suspected cauda equina and had to see an orthopedic surgeon, rushed an MRI on friday and found out today i have a ruptured disc, and possibly more damage due to abnormalities in the bottom of my spine showing up on the MRI scan. Im waiting to be booked into the spinal clinic for further investigation and tests to see if the damage requires surgery, and im also waiting on physio referral.

    My job involves lifting blue chep pallets from various heights and placing them at various heights depending on the job im doing. Most of the time we are required to life these on our own, the average weight of a blue chep pallet is 28kg, our pallets are stored outside in an open yard soaking up all the rain that hits them. Sometimes these pallets are double the weight easily when wet, and if nobody is around to help us we simply have to lift them as its a job requirement. We dont have any sort of hoist system installed or any sort of lifting aid other than forklift trucks and bendi trucks, and you are required to have a license to operate and my employer still in nearly 4 years of working there has still failed to train myself and lots of others members of staff on, requiring us to life these some time nearly 60kg pallets on our own.

    The manual handling techniques have all just been re designed as well basically debunking the old manual handling techniques they have been telling us to use and stick by in the workplace, now saying that they werent any good for our backs and the new system is what we should now adopt in the workplace. Also, our manual handling only focuses on how to pick up small boxes from between our legs, not how to lift up pallets that weigh double because the employer cant provide sufficient shelter for them from the elements.

    Can i claim for my back taking these factors into consideration?

    Ian Morris

    The damage to your back is clearly serious and I hope that your treatment and recovery goes well.

    Given the injuries/damage you describe, it would certainly match with a repetitive strain injury and the continual lifting you cite would appear to the the cause.

    I think we should pursue a claim for compensation here. Of course, there can be no guarantee of success, but we can guarantee that it would not cost you any fees should the claim fail.

    Reply

    I’m 26 years old and I’ve been with my employer for 9 years now and haven’t received any form of manual handling training or health and safety training. My job involves lifting 10 to 25kg bags of animal feed on a daily basis.
    I’ve been suffering with mid back/shoulder pain now for the past two years. It sometimes wakes me up and night and go’s when I start moving around. Ive been to a chiropractor to see if they could help me out but I couldn’t afford to keep up the appointments fees so had to stop before I could fix myself.
    Also i’m a rather fit person as I like to keep myself fit by playing sports and going to the gym. I’m just looking for advice on if I can claim against them and also I don’t want to get anyone fired.

    Ian Morris

    Thomas

    Thank you for visiting our website to seek help. The situation you describe is sadly a common one in that many employers fail to ensure that workers know how to lift and move heavy items safely. As a result, many employees suffer from back pain that would have often been avoidable if only manual handling training had been provided.

    Firstly, you do not need to worry about getting anyone fired or in trouble if you were to opt to pursue a claim. Any claim you opted to make would be made against your employers ’employer liability insurance’ policy and it would not directly affect the employer in anyway. Many people worry about claiming compensation when it involves injuries caused in an accident at work or as a result of employer negligence. It is understandable that you would not want to upset an employer or cause any trouble by claiming compensation.

    The lack of manual handling training in your workplace indicates to me that you have a valid and viable claim for compensation against your employer. The injuries you are suffering from are likely to be as a result of not lifting properly or knowing how to identify weights that are unsafe to lift and are worthy of claiming compensation for.

    You mentioned that you had seen a chiropractor to help with your symptoms, but had been unable to continue to see them due to the cost of the treatment. With this in mind, pursuing a claim for compensation would enable you to (if successful) reclaim the costs you have already incurred for these sessions but also provide the possibility of obtaining further rehabilitation therapies at the cost of the insurers on top of any compensation settlement awarded to you.

    I would definitely recommend that you pursue a claim for compensation and I confirm that this is something we would like to assist you with.

    Reply

    I have just spoke to my employer he says he knows nothing about the injury cos it’s not in the accident book, but like I said I told my team leader I had hurt my back. I took half day holiday cos I thought it was minor but it’s just got worse everyday since and pain relief doesn’t work so I’m stuck in bed in agony with no job now I’m gutted.

    Ian Morris

    Shaun

    Thanks for coming back to us. If your employer is refusing to acknowledge your accident and is denying that you have reported the matter (that it isn’t in the accident book) I would suggest that you either write to the employer or email them to report your injuries and how they happened at work. You should outline what happened to your back, what you were doing and the pain. You can then advise them that you left for the day and subsequently had to see your GP. You should simply state that you want the details of your injury recorded and you DON’T need to mention anything about making a claim.

    If you would like us to help you pursue a claim for the back injury as a workplace injury claim against the employer, we’d be happy to do this for you. If so, please send me your phone number – or call us on 01225430285

    Yours sincerely

    Ian

    Reply

    Hi I have been off work for 2 weeks with a strained muscles in my back which I did in work. On the day I took half day holiday to go home and rest it but since then it’s got worse. I have took a sick note in off the doctor but today I got a letter saying they are terminating my contract. I have been there just under a year can they do that?

    Ian Morris

    Shaun

    If you have worked for an employer for less than 2 years, your employment can be terminated by the employer fairly easily – all they need to do is give you notice and pay you for the work you have done (and holiday entitlement) up to the date of termination. The laws regarding employee rights were changed by the Government fairly recently and it has to be said that the changes made the system far less fair for workers like yourself.

    I am interested in your back injury though. If the back pain/injury was caused by your work, you may have grounds to pursue a claim for workplace injury compensation against the employer. I would be very keen to speak to you about this to see if there is someway that we can help you at least claim compensation for the injuries and any lost income/costs you have incurred.

    Please call us on 01225430285. We’ll then be able to advise you as to whether or not you can pursue a claim for compensation and help you better understand your rights.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Regards

    Ian

    Reply

    Hi I have just started work after maternity leave, I’ve been there 3 weeks, I’ve had back problems since I was pregnant and I never received a risk assessment when I was pregnant in the workplace. I lifted a child at work with a colleague we have had manual handling training but did not receive any training on a 2 man lift which is how I have hurt my back, when I was holding the child upright he jumped pulling me down. I recorded the accident at work and have been to the doctors also and received medication, can I make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    Debbie

    Thank you for letting us know about your situation. On the basis of what you have disclosed so far, it would certainly be fair to say that your employers do have a case to answer with regards to an allegation of employer negligence towards your health and safety at work.

    It is good that they have given you manual handling training, but failing to ensure that you have been trained and supported to safely use an important and commonly used item needed for your work (the 2 man lift) has exposed you to the risk of injury.

    Given that you have recorded the details of this matter within the accident book at work and your employers are aware of the situation, we would certainly be keen to address this matter with them and represent you with a claim for compensation. Please contact us on 01225430285 to discuss your situation in greater depth and help you to better understand your rights and how the No Win No Fee claims process works. We have excellent specialist personal injury solicitors available to help you pursue this matter.

    We very much look forward to helping you and I look forward to hearing from you.

    Yours sincerely

    Ian Morris

    Reply

    I work at tesco, my back went and i had to go doctors, i’ve been off sick by a doctors note and now they’re trying to sack me. I used to take the deliveries and i never did get shown how to move the cages properly or use the machines, and now i’m not working they’re being funny with me. Every time i’ve asked to have the training they kept saying, we will soon, we’re busy at the min. Do you think i have a claim? i didn’t understand it much.

    Ian Morris

    Regarding a potential claim, I would say that if what you say is correct, you have every right to make a compensation claim against your employer as it sounds like they have been negligent towards your health and safety.

    You should definitely make sure that your employer has recorded your assertion that your injuries were caused by work, due to heavy lifting and a lack of training. If this has not already been placed within an employers accident book/incident reporting system, you should email your employer or write to them (retaining a copy for your records) outlining what has happened to you and how. You should also make sure that it is noted that you had requested training and been told that it would be provided as soon as there was an opportunity but that they were always too busy to provide it.

    Reply

    I sustained a back injury at work and informed my boss, who was not on-site at the time. We do not have an accident book to record it in. I told her and she is insisting on me coming in tomorrow when I can barely walk. I am going to seek medical attention ASAP. Also, I don’t have a formal written contract. Can I still make a claim?

    Ian Morris

    Lucy

    You can most definitely still make a claim for injury compensation and given that it seems that your employer isn’t really too caring about your situation and your health, I would expect that you have every intention of doing just that.

    We would be more than happy to help you get this claim up and running. I will email you directly also and look forward to hearing from you and helping with your claim.

    Best wishes

    Ian

    Reply
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