If you have been injured at work whilst lifting, pushing or pulling heavy loads you are now a statistic as more than a third of all workplace injuries are caused by manual handling.

What are the common injuries?

• Back injuries caused by heavy or unstable loads for example;
• Injuries caused by prolonged repetition although these are often more difficult to prove;
• Hernias and other strain injuries;
• Arm, wrist and shoulder injuries are all common place.

What sort of accidents can occur?

Despite the duties placed on the employer, which should safeguard workers, accidents continue to happen. Office workers who are normally sat behind desks are suddenly required to move them or filing cabinets or boxes. No training is given and back injuries, hernias and shoulder injuries are a common result. Workers in care homes are required to lift an awkward patient without the use of aids or sometimes without the assistance of enough members of staff. That employee with pre existing back problems is asked to help out because of “staff shortages” despite protestation, and gets further injury to his or her back.

Back Injury

The most common injury is to the back. Back injuries can be extremely painful, and if your job involves heavy manual labour, back injuries can damage your work prospects as well. You should have received training in lifting techniques such as ensuring that you adopt a good lifting posture, with slight bending of the back hips and knees, avoiding twisting and keeping the load close to the waist for as long as possible.

A worker received a back injury whilst manoeuvring a bouncy castle on his own. He was able to show that this was the common way that this task was carried out, i.e. without any help, despite a risk assessment showing that this should never be carried out alone.

Hernia Injury (Hernias)

Another common workplace injury is a hernia. These are often difficult to connect completely to work as they can be caused in a number of different ways such as a heavy workout at a gym for example. A hernia is a condition where there has been a rupture in muscle tissue causing part of the internal system to protrude. Anyone can get a hernia; hence the difficulty in proving that is has been caused by work. They can be caused by lifting pushing or pulling.

A school caretaker had a hernia which he was able to prove had been caused by lifting a heavy room divider to clean a floor. He was off work for 2 months and received compensation for the injury and the time off work. He was able to show that he should have received assistance to move the divider and could have been provided with an appropriate mechanical aid. The employer (in this case a local council) was found to be responsible.

Shoulder, Neck and Arm Injuries

These are also commonly caused as a result of the failure of safe manual handling techniques. A male worker tore tendons in his shoulder when he was asked to help move heavy equipment up some stairs which required him to lift it above head height. He had received insufficient training and the weights involved (and indeed the cramped working conditions) were all factors in his successful claim.

If you have received an injury which you feel has been caused because your employer has not paid any or any proper attention to the duties imposed when manually handling equipment then you should seek appropriate legal advice.

Click on the compensation guide to find out how much compensation you could expect for your injuries from a manual handling accident.