Lifting, Handling Accidents

Lifting or manual handling is the movement of a load by a persons hand or bodily force. Each lifting or manual handling operation is different and all factors should be taken into consideration. These factors being the individual who is carrying out the lifting/manual handling task, the amount, size and weight of the load to be lifted/handled and the environment in which the load is being lifted/handled. If any of these considerations are not followed through then accidents can happen.

It is estimated that five million working days are lost each year to back pain caused by incorrect lifting or manual handling procedures. These five million days that are lost have huge implications for not only the individual but also their family, company they work for and the UK economy as a whole.

Nearly half of the serious work injuries in the UK are as a result of incorrect lifting, which mostly causes damage to the lower back. Other injuries that occur as a result of incorrect lifting and manual handling are strain of chest muscles, tendon damage in arms, hernias and fractured fingers.

The reasons behind these injuries are moving loads that are too heavy, door lifting techniques, failure to grip safely, a lack of protective wear such as gloves and shoes and repetitive movement. Other factors that can cause injury through lifting and manual handling is a lack of training about how to lift properly and not being given the correct equipment to lift objects.

The common symptoms that will result from injury due to incorrect lifting and manual handling include back and neck pain, pain in the wrists, shoulders and arms, stabbing pains in the arms and legs, painful joints, tingling, numbness and burning sensations in the hands and feet as well as stiffness and swelling across the back, neck, shoulder or arms and legs.

Having an accident whilst lifting or manually handling a load can cause serious damage and leave you unable to work for several weeks, in extreme cases it could mean you can’t return to your job at all. This is why the correct training and equipment should be provided to you by your employer. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 was put in place to protect employees and to make all work places, regardless of your occupation, safe.

Hazard checks should be carried out in places of employment and previous accidents should be reviewed to eliminate risks and reduce the chance of an accident occurring again.

If you have been involved in an accident that is the result of lifting or manual handling without having received the correct equipment or training then you could be entitled to compensation.

If you have been instructed to carry out a lifting or manual handling task without every factor being taken into consideration then you are being put at an increased risk of an accident occurring.

Accident Consultant are specialists in personal injury compensation and have helped people just like you gain compensation after a lifting/manual handling claim. Here at Accident Consultant we work on a no win no fee basis meaning that in a successful claim you keep 100% of the compensation that you are awarded with your fees being paid by the losing parties insurance.

If you would like more information about claiming after a lifting/manual handling accident that was through no fault of your own then visit our main site, Accident Consult. Alternatively if you would like to get your claim under way then fill in our online claim form to the right of this page or call us now on 08081 68 69 70.