Lifting and Handling

Have you been injured at work trying to move something which was too heavy for you?

Could the job have been made easier if your employer had thought about it first?

Have you been shown how to lift things safely?

Many back and neck injuries are caused by manual handling tasks which haven’t been properly thought about. Employers have very specific obligations in relation to manual handling.

First, they have to consider whether the job could be done in a way which doesn’t carry a risk of injury. If it isn’t practical to avoid the job being done manually, they have to assess the risk of injury and take steps to reduce the risk to the lowest level they reasonably can.

You should be given information about the weight of the load and training on how to move it safely. It may be necessary for the load to be lifted or moved by more than one person, perhaps with assistance from sack barrows, pump trucks or suction cups.

The whole task has to be looked at so, for example, if the load itself isn’t too heavy but you have to drag it a long distance or move it over an obstacle and you slip doing that, your employer will still be liable to compensate you for your injuries.

We have successfully recovered compensation for many clients injured while moving loads which were too heavy or awkward, and our lawyers can help you get the money you need to get you back on your feet.