A great deal of clients come to Bartletts Solicitors every year with injuries sustained through manual handling tasks, usually with lower or upper back problems that have been caused by failure to train or risk assess.
Even if an employer has provided you with the correct manual handling training, and can provide certificates and checklists acting as evidence of such, they must still risk assess the manual handling tasks that you are to undertake.
The HSE approved diagram below shows the maximum weights that should be carried by both men and women at various heights and distances from the body:
Employees often ask how many kg or kilograms can a man or woman lift at work. As you can see, whilst a load carried by a male close to the body at waist height can be up to 25kg without becoming dangerous, move this load outwards, and it will start to cause trouble if it exceeds 15kg. The ergonomics and movements of manual handling tasks should therefore be assessed closely by your employer, so as to avoid injury.
If the loads exceed those shown in the diagram, then assistance should be provided in moving the weights, where practicable. This assistance can be either man-power, or mechanical, and should be provided where reasonable in the circumstances.
As anyone who has had a back injury will tell you, it is best to avoid such injuries at all costs; they can be debilitating and can persist for years, sometimes lifetimes. Therefore, whilst it remains the responsibility of your employer to risk assess the asks that involve heavy weights and bulky items, you as an employee should take steps to ensure that you are not putting yourself in danger of sustaining such an injury.
>> Find Out More About Claiming Compensation For Back Pain
If you or anyone you know has suffered an injury as a result of manual handling tasks, and believe that you were not provided with adequate training or the task was not risk assessed, please get in touch via the contact details at the top right of this page.
Mr Samuel received £9,200 compensation when he suffered an injury caused by Manual Handling procedures at work.
Mr Samuel was moving loads of bricks around his factory workplace by himself. No mechanical assistance was provided, nor were any other employees provided to help him move these loads.
Mr Samuel was doing this job for two months, 5 days a week, and eventually his back gave way and he collapsed onto the factor floor. His employer later admitted that they had been aware of the weight of these loads (over 40kg), but had not risk assessed the task so as to minimise the chance of injury to the lowest level that was practicable.
As a result of the accident, Mr Samuel was unable to work for nine months and incurred travel expenses to see consultants at various regional hospitals. Mr Samuel was paid in full by his employer after three months, but was suffering financial hardship due to his initial loss of earnings.
Due to these circumstances, Mr Samuel decided to bring a claim for personal injury and contacted Bartletts Solicitors who contact his employer within a week of Mr Samuel’s instruction.
After 8 months, Mr Samuel received an interim payment in respect of his loss of earnings. Within 14 months of his accident, Mr Samuel had been compensated fully for his injuries and subsequent loss of earnings.
Can I Claim Compensation For A Work Accident?
Recent Case Studies:
Concierge / Porter Injured Back Lifting Luggage At Hotel
Caretaker Compensated For Being Asked To Lift Too Much At Work
Shop Worker Compensated For A Hiatus Hernia From Lifting
