This guide will provide you with information about potential compensation amounts for manual handling claims. If you suffered an injury while at work, you could be eligible for compensation. We explain what circumstances could entitle you to make a workplace accident claim.
A guide to compensation amounts for manual handling claims
You may wonder what is meant by employer negligence and what kinds of injuries you could sustain in the workplace. We define employer negligence and take a look at some of the legislation that governs workplace health and safety.
Should you have valid grounds for a personal injury claim, you may like to have the support of a solicitor. This guide concludes with a look at what it means for a solicitor to provide their services on a No Win No Fee basis and the benefits this could offer.
If you have any questions while reading this guide or would like help getting your claim started, please contact one of our advisors.
To talk to an advisor:
- Call 0113 460 1215.
- Use our live chat.
- Start your claim online.
Browse Our Guide
- Potential Compensation Amounts For Manual Handling Claims
- Eligibility Criteria Regarding Manual Handling At Work Claims
- How Could A Manual Handling Injury Be The Result Of Employer Negligence?
- How To Make A Work Injury Claim
- Claim For An Accident At Work On A No Win No Fee Basis Today
- Learn More About How To Claim For A Workplace Accident
Potential Compensation Amounts For Manual Handling Claims
If your work injury claim is successful, your settlement could consist of two heads of claim. These are called general and special damages.
General damages compensate for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by your manual handling injury. To help arrive at a value for your claim, legal professionals can refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This text provides a guideline list of compensation brackets for various injuries.
General Damages
In our table below, we’ve provided a few figures from the 16th edition of the JCG. It is only to be used as guidance.
| Injury | Details | Compensation Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Arm (b) | This bracket includes injuries that cause permanent and substantial disablement, for example serious fractures to both forearms. | £39,170 to £59,860 |
| Arm (c) | Included in this bracket are less severe arm injuries. There will have been significant disabilities but a substantial level of recovery. | £19,200 to £39,170 |
| Fingers - Severe Fractures | Included in this bracket are severe finger fractures that could result in partial amputations with reduced function. | Up to £36,740 |
| Fingers - Fractured Index Finger | This bracket is for index finger fractures that have healed quickly but remain impaired with pain on heavy use. | £9,110 to £12,240 |
| Elbow (b) | Included in this bracket are less severe injuries that cause functioning impairments, but not a significant disability. | £15,650 to £32,010 |
| Back - Moderate (ii) | This bracket includes injuries such as muscle and ligament disturbance causing backache. | £12,510 to £27,760 |
| Back - Minor (i) | This bracket includes injuries that take 2-5 years for a full recovery or recovery to nuisance level without surgery. | £7,890 to £12,510 |
| Toe - Severe | Included in this bracket are severe crush injuries resulting in one or two amputations or partial amputation. | £13,740 to £21,070 |
| Shoulder - Serious | The claimant has suffered a dislocation along with damage to the lower brachial plexus, leading to restricted shoulder movement and sensory problems. | £12,770 to £19,200 |
| Shoulder - Moderate | Included in this bracket are frozen shoulder injuries with symptoms lasting about 2 years and soft tissue injuries with more than minimal symptoms lasting beyond that. | £7,890 to £12,770 |
Claiming For Financial Losses In A Work Injury Claim
In addition, your settlement may include special damages. This head of a personal injury claim recovers the monetary losses caused by your injuries. To claim special damages, you should keep hold of proof of your losses, such as payslips and receipts.
Here are some examples of special damages that could be included in a manual handling claim:
- Loss of earnings for time spent off work recovering.
- Travel expenses, such as taxi fares to medical appointments.
- Medical costs, such as therapy and medications.
If you have any further questions, contact one of the advisors from our team to discuss compensation amounts for manual handling claims. In addition to free advice, they can give you a personalised valuation of your claim.
Eligibility Criteria Regarding Manual Handling At Work Claims
In order to have valid grounds to make an accident at work claim, you must be able to prove your injuries were caused by your employer’s failure to adhere to health and safety legislation. A breach of duty of care resulting in injuries is known as employer negligence.
The main piece of legislation designed to protect employee health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). It sets out the duty of care that employers owe to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees.
Employers are also expected to adhere to the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. This sets out specific requirements for performing manual handling tasks safely. For example, employers should make employees aware of the weight of the object before the task begins.
If you need any help understanding how compensation amounts for manual handling claims can vary, please contact one of the advisors from our team. If you have a valid claim, they could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.
How Could A Manual Handling Injury Be The Result Of Employer Negligence?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance on safe manual handling. The HSE is a government agency set up to enforce health and safety regulations. If an employer does not follow the relevant guidance, and you suffer an injury as a result, they might be found to be negligent.
The HSE defines manual handling as transporting or supporting an object by hand or bodily force. This includes lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, moving or carrying a load.
Here are a few examples of how manual handling injuries could be caused by employer negligence:
- A foot injury could be caused by dropping a load because the employee’s capability to carry a bulky object wasn’t assessed.
- You could sustain a head injury because you were instructed to transport a roll cage with items that are stacked too high.
- Inadequate manual handling training could result in a shoulder injury. If employees are expected to lift or carry objects, they need to be taught how to do so in a safe manner.
- A failure to carry out appropriate risk assessments could result in a back injury if the path the employee is expected to take goes over an unsuitable slippery surface, causing a slip and fall.
Please get in touch with an advisor from our team if you have any queries about compensation amounts for manual handling claims. They can also assess whether you have valid grounds to make a workplace injury claim.
How To Make A Work Injury Claim
When you make a personal injury claim following a manual handling accident, you will need to collect sufficient evidence that proves employer negligence occurred.
Some examples of the evidence that you could submit to support your claim for an accident at work include:
- A copy of the accident log book with details of the incident that caused your injuries. An accident book is a legal requirement for any workplace with ten or more employees.
- The contact details of anyone who witnessed the accident so that they can give a statement.
- Videos of the accident, such as CCTV footage.
- A copy of your medical records with details about the nature of your injury and the treatment you required.
If you need any help collecting evidence or understanding the personal injury claims process, please get in touch with our advisors. They can also go through compensation amounts for manual handling claims and discuss how the strength of your evidence can support your case. In addition, if your claim seems legitimate, they could connect you with one of the accident at work solicitors from our panel.
Claim For An Accident At Work On A No Win No Fee Basis Today
If you decide to claim accident at work compensation, one of the No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel could provide legal representation. They have years of experience handling workplace accident claims.
The solicitors from our panel will typically offer their No Win No Fee services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This means they usually won’t ask for any upfront or ongoing payments for their services. Your solicitor will take a success fee from your settlement if you are awarded compensation. This amount is legally restricted. However, you will not be asked to pay this fee if your claim does not recover compensation.
Our advisors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any queries you have about compensation amounts for manual handling claims. They could also connect you to one of the solicitors from our panel.
To talk to an advisor:
- Call 0113 460 1215.
- Use our live chat.
- Start your claim online.
Learn More About How To Claim For A Workplace Accident
The following guides may help you further understand compensation amounts for manual handling claims and other settlements for workplace injuries:
Further reading:
- HSE Employers Responsibilities
- NHS Back Pain Guide
- HSE Manual Handling Guidance
Writer Danielle Blythe
Publisher Fern Stringer
