Most Common Manual Handling Injuries In The Workplace

In this guide, we examine some of the most common manual handling injuries that can be sustained in an accident at work. We also examine how these types of manual handling accidents and injuries can occur and how they can be prevented.

If you suffered common injuries from manual handling due to employer negligence, you might have good grounds to file a personal injury claim. We discuss the eligibility requirements that you must satisfy in order to make an accident at work claim.

If you satisfy these requirements and would like to proceed with a compensation claim, you may want help from a legal representative. We conclude by looking at the benefits of having a No Win No Fee solicitor to help you with the personal injury claims process.

To discuss your manual handling injuries and find out if you could be eligible for personal injury compensation, speak to a member of our advisory team. They can give you a free claim check, including a valuation.

To talk about your manual handling accident compensation claim:

Call 020 8050 2736
Request a call back from an advisor by filling in our claim online form.
Ask about making a manual handling injury claim in our live chat.

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Information About The Most Common Manual Handling Injuries In The Workplace
How Can Manual Handling Injuries Occur In The Workplace?
How Can Manual Handling Injuries Be Prevented?
When Can You Claim For A Manual Handling Injury?
Why Make A No Win No Fee Manual Handling Injury Claim?
Read More About The Most Common Manual Handling Injuries

Information About The Most Common Manual Handling Injuries In The Workplace

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) define manual handling as using bodily force or your hands to support or transport a load. Manual handling activities include lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving loads. Loads could be an object, person or animal. The Health and Safety Executive regulate and monitor workplace health and safety.

As part of their role in monitoring health and safety at work, the HSE collect statistics related to workplace accidents. These include work-related injuries reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). RIDDOR sets the requirements for certain workplace incidents to be reported to the HSE.

There were a total of 60,645 non-fatal injuries reported to the HSE by kind of accident for 2022/23. Of these, 10,230 injuries occurred while handling, lifting or carrying.

Manual handling injuries can go on to lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). A total of 1.8 million workers suffered from new or long-standing ill health in 2022/23. 27% of these workers suffered from a type of MSD.

The parts of the body most likely to be affected by MSDs are:

These could lead to lower limb disorders, upper limb disorders and also back injuries. Employers must protect workers from the risks of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) being caused or made worse by work.

In the next section, we examine some of the most common manual handling injuries and how they occur.

How Can Manual Handling Injuries Occur In The Workplace?

There are various injuries that could occur while carrying out manual handling tasks. These include:

A finger injury. For example, your finger could become stuck in a roll cage door resulting in a broken finger. You could also suffer a crush injury when putting down an object if your fingers were between the object and the shelf.
Broken foot and other foot injuries, such as crushed toes that require amputation. For example, if you grip a heavy object incorrectly and drop it, it could break your foot.
Back injury. If you incorrectly bend to pick up an object, you could suffer a back injury. Additionally, you could sustain a back injury if an object is too heavy for you to carry.
Shoulder injury. For example, if the centre of gravity in an object you are carrying with another person shifts, you could dislocate your shoulder.
Strains and sprains. You could sprain any part of your body if the items you lift are too heavy.
Cuts and lacerations. If you pick up an object with a sharp edge or a nail sticking out of it, you could sustain cuts.

Some manual handling accidents could result in a serious work injury. For example, an item may need to be removed from a high shelf. However, the centre of gravity may not be balanced, and you could slip off the ladder. A fall from height could cause numerous broken bones and a brain injury.

How Can Manual Handling Injuries Be Prevented?

Your employer should take reasonable and practicable steps to prevent all manual handling injuries in the workplace. This is part of their duty of care to their employees (more on this later). Additionally, your employer must comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. These regulations require risk assessments and state that where it is not reasonably practicable to avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the injury risks.

To help prevent workplace injuries caused by manual handling, your employer should:

Assess manual handling risks connected with the task.
Provide free manual handling training.
Ensure the object is not too heavy for the employee tasked with handling it. Additionally, their fitness level and whether they have any underlying health conditions, such as a history of back problems or underlying musculoskeletal disorders, should be considered.
Consider how far the load has to travel and whether this could be made safer, such as by utilising a roll cage.
Assess the area the load needs to be moved across, lifted or lowered. For example, an employee may suffer a slip, trip and fall accident due to poor floor surfaces, such as uneven tiles or trailing wires.
Break up the load into smaller or lighter loads (if possible). For example, if smaller boxes are contained within one large box, handle the smaller boxes.
Provide mechanical help wherever possible, such as a roll cage or hoist.

If you sustain injuries because of a manual handling accident at work, you might be eligible to claim personal injury compensation. In the next section, we look at the eligibility criteria you must satisfy and further explain the duty of care that your employer owes to you.

When Can You Claim For A Manual Handling Injury?

As previously mentioned, you might have good grounds to file a personal injury claim against your employer if you sustained manual handling injuries. While you are at work, your employer must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure your health, safety and welfare. This is the duty of care your employer owes all of their employees as set by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA).

To comply with HASAWA, your employer must adhere to the Manual Handling Operations Regulations and ensure that any manual handling risk assessments and steps to reduce identified risks are taken (as we discussed above), such as providing training.

In order to have good grouds to launch an accident at work claim, you must demonstrate that you meet the personal injury claims eligibility criteria. This means that you can prove that:

A duty of care was owed to you.
Your employer neglected this duty.
You sustained manual handling injuries because of this breach.

If you suffered manual handling injuries in an accident at work and would like to find out if you are eligible to claim, speak with a member of our advisory team.

Why Make A No Win No Fee Manual Handling Injury Claim?

If you satisfy the personal injury claims eligibility requirements and would like to claim, you may wish to have a solicitor to support you. One of the accident at work solicitors from our panel could help you through the personal injury claims process. Our panel will generally offer their legal representation on a No Win No Fee basis under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

When you are represented by a No Win No Fee solicitor, you:

Won’t have to pay for their services upfront.
Don’t have to cover ongoing costs.
Only pay a success fee if your claim is successful. This amount is a legally capped percentage taken from your award.
This fee is not payable if your claim fails.

Direct any questions you may have about claiming for the most common manual handling injuries to an advisor from our team. If you satisfy our eligilbity requirements, you could be connected to one of the personal injury solicitors from our panel.

To discuss manual handling injury claims:

Call 020 8050 2736
Fill out our claim online form for an advisor to call you.
Ask about manual handling claims in our live chat.

The Most Common Manual Handling Accidents And Injuries