Approaching one third of industrial injuries are caused by manual handling operations ie. the transport or supporting of a load by hand or bodily force. The type of operations involved include lifting, carrying, moving, supporting, restraining, pushing, pulling, lowering, putting down etc.

The injuries most commonly caused by manual handling are injuries to the back, sprains, strains and hernias. Where a load is dropped or falls during the operation this can result in fractures or other injuries caused by crushing, trapping or puncture wounds.

In addition to the Common Law duty of employers to protect their employees from injury at work they must also comply with specific regulations - the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (1992). Amongst other things the regulations require employers to :-

1. Avoid potentially hazardous manual handling operations as far as is reasonably practicable
2. Where there is a risk of injury, consider whether manual handling can be replaced by use of equipment
3. Assess the risk of injury where manual handling cannot be avoided
4. Provide proper training, instruction and supervision in manual handling
5. Where personal injury results from such operations and the employer is in breach of either Statutory or Common Law duty, a claim for compensation may lie against him.

If you have been involved in a manual handling accident in the last three years and would like to know whether you may be entitled to compensation, please complete the Application Form and we will provide a Free Legal Assessment of your claim. We will handle your claim on a No Win No Fee basis at no cost to you.

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