Skip to main content
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
Call us Free on 0800 056 4110
Dialog that contains search functionality
Irwin Mitchell Logo
  • Personal
    • Personal
    • Personal Home
    • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims Home
      • Abuse Claims
      • Accidents In Public Places Claims
      • Criminal Injury Compensation Claims
      • Accident At Work Claims
      • Air, Rail & Maritime Claims
      • Asbestos & Mesothelioma Claims
      • Changing Solicitors During a Personal Injury Claim
      • Group Claims
      • Holiday Accidents & Illness Claims
      • Illness Compensation Claims
      • Industrial Disease Claims
      • Injury Types
      • Military Injury Compensation Claims
      • No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims In Scotland
      • How To Claim Compensation For Personal Injury
      • Product Liability Claims
      • Road Traffic Accident Claims
      • Serious Injury Claims
      • Who Can Help?
      • Support Services
    • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims Home
      • Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Birth Injury Claims
      • Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims
      • Never Event Claims
      • Ambulance & Paramedic Medical Negligence Claims
      • Cosmetic Surgery Claims
      • Private Healthcare Claims
      • Cerebral Palsy Claims
      • Defective Medical Device Claims
      • Dental Negligence Claims
      • Diabetes Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Fatal Medical Negligence Claims & Inquests
      • GP Negligence Claims
      • Hospital Negligence Claims
      • What Is Medical Negligence?
      • Meningitis Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Failure To Prevent Suicide Claims
      • Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Ophthalmic Negligence Claims
      • Pregnancy & Gynaecology Injury Claims
      • Sepsis Negligence Claims
      • Pharmacy And Medication Negligence Claims
      • Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust Maternity Care Claims
      • Stroke Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Surgery Compensation Claims
    • Counselling
      • Counselling
      • Counselling Home
      • Counselling Myths Dispelled
    • Family Law
      • Family Law
      • Family Law Home
      • Divorce Solicitors
      • Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreement Solicitors
      • Child Abduction Solicitors
      • Civil Partnership Solicitors
      • LGBT+ Family Law Solicitors
      • Unmarried Couples' Rights
      • Divorce Financial Settlement Solicitors
      • Child Arrangement Orders
      • Family Mediation
      • Out of Court Divorce Solicitors
      • Separation Agreement Solicitors
      • Adoption & Surrogacy Solicitors
    • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates Home
      • Estate Planning Solicitors
      • Powers Of Attorney
      • Trusts
      • Will Writing Services
      • Will Disputes & Contentious Probate
    • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors Home
      • Conveyancing Fees Calculator
      • Buying A Property
      • Selling A Property
      • Remortgage
      • Transfer Of Equity
      • Buy To Let
      • Freehold Purchase (Leasehold Enfranchisement) Solicitors
      • Lease Extension Solicitors
      • Conveyancing Guide
      • Residential Property Disputes
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Business Tax
      • Inheritance Tax
      • International Tax
      • Professional Negligence
      • HMRC Tax Investigations
      • Tax Disputes & Litigation
      • Tax Residence
      • Tax Returns & Compliance
      • UK Resident Non-Doms
      • Wealth Structuring
    • Probate
      • Probate
      • Probate Home
      • International Probate
      • Probate Sale Conveyancing
      • What Is Probate & How Does It Work?
    • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes Home
      • Trust Disputes
      • Inheritance Act Claims
      • Contesting A Will
      • Contentious Probate
      • Pre-Death Agreements
      • Professional Negligence
      • Challenging A Lifetime Gift
      • Financial Abuse
      • Statutory Will Disputes
      • Defending A Contested Will
    • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors Home
      • Employment Contract Solicitors
      • Employment Disputes
      • Dismissal & Redundancy Solicitors
      • Employment Discrimination Solicitors
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Harassment & Bullying At Work Solicitors
      • Parental & Family Friendly Employment Rights
      • Professional Discipline Solicitors
      • Recruitment & Promotion
      • Senior Executive Employment Lawyers
      • Settlement Agreements
      • Whistleblowing Solicitors
    • Elderly Legal Services
    • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights Home
      • Actions Against The Police
      • Inquests
      • Environmental & Planning Law
      • Assessment & Treatment Unit Solicitors
      • Data Protection Breach Claims
      • Education Law
      • Healthcare & Social Services
      • Human Rights
      • Judicial Review
      • Mental Capacity
      • Professional Regulation & Discipline
      • Dispute Resolution
      • Legal Aid
    • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors Home
      • British Citizenship & Naturalisation Solicitors
      • EU & EEA Immigration Solicitors
      • Indefinite Leave To Remain Solicitors
      • Spouse Visa Solicitors
      • Innovator Visa
      • Permanent Residence Solicitors
      • Business Immigration Solicitors
    • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations Home
      • Crime
      • Fraud & Financial Crime
      • Court Martial Solicitors
      • Motoring Offences Legal Advice
      • Regulatory Investigations & Enforcement
    • Insolvency
      • Insolvency
      • Insolvency Home
      • Business Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Debt Consultancy
      • Insolvency Disputes & Litigation
    • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection Home
      • Court Of Protection Deputyship
      • Personal Injury Trusts
      • Court Of Protection Problems & Disputes
      • Healthcare and Social Services
      • Court of Protection Frequently Asked Questions
      • Powers Of Attorney Disputes
      • Statutory Wills Solicitors
  • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management Home
    • Asset Management For Personal Injury
    • Charity & Philanthropy
    • Estate Planning
    • Ethical & Sustainable Investing
    • Financial Planning
    • Intergenerational Wealth Management
    • Investment Management
    • Retirement Financial Planning
    • Family Offices
    • Succession Planning
    • Tax Planning
  • Business
    • Business
    • Business Home
    • Sectors
      • Sectors
      • Sectors Home
      • Agriculture & Rural Business
      • Retail, Leisure & Hospitality
      • Education
      • Financial & Professional Services
      • Landed Estates
      • Manufacturing
      • Real Estate
      • Sport
      • Technology & Communications
    • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance Home
      • Corporate Banking
      • Leveraged & Acquisition Finance
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Receivables Finance & Asset Based Lending
    • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance Home
      • Cyber Security
      • Environment
      • Net Zero
      • Social
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Governance
      • International
      • ESG Legal Advisory Services
      • Legislation Library
      • Manufacturing Sector
      • Real Estate
      • Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Sector
      • Sports Sector
    • Business Crime
      • Business Crime
      • Business Crime Home
      • Anti-Bribery & Corruption
      • Asset Tracing & Recovery
      • Cartels & Illegal Price Fixing
      • Cybercrime
      • Dawn Raids
      • Deferred Prosecution Agreements
      • Extradition
      • INTERPOL Red Notices
      • Mutual Legal Assistance
      • Private Prosecution
      • Proceeds Of Crime Act
      • Unexplained Wealth Orders
      • Fraud Lawyers
      • Insider Trading & Market Abuse
      • Corporate Internal Investigations
    • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration Home
      • Business Visitor Visa
      • Global Business Mobility Visas
      • Innovator Visa
      • Prevention Of Illegal Working
      • Skilled Worker Visas
      • Sole Representative Of An Overseas Business
      • UK Visa Sponsor License
    • Commercial
      • Commercial
      • Commercial Home
      • Commercial Contracts
      • Competition Law
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Information Technology
      • Sourcing
      • Notary Public Solicitors
    • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Home
      • Banking & Finance Litigation
      • Business Interruption Insurance Lawyers
      • Contract Disputes
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • International & Cross-Border Disputes
      • Commercial Debt Recovery
      • Litigation Funding
      • Professional Negligence
    • Corporate
      • Corporate
      • Corporate Home
      • Corporate Advisory
      • Equity Capital Markets
      • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
      • Private Equity
      • Search Funds and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Lawyers
    • Costs Team
    • Employment Law
      • Employment Law
      • Employment Law Home
      • Business Immigration
      • Employment Contracts, Policies & Procedures
      • Disciplinary & Grievance
      • Employee & Industrial Relations
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Employment Litigation & Resolution Lawyers
      • Equality, Diversity & Discrimination
      • Flexible Working Arrangements
      • Health & Safety
      • HR Advice Service - IMhrplus
      • Managing Sickness Absence
      • Pensions
      • Recruitment
      • Restrictive Covenants
      • Restructuring & Redundancy
      • Self Employment, Contractors & Agency Workers
      • Employment Seminars, Training & Updates
      • TUPE
    • In-House Counsel
    • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media Home
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • Copyright Lawyers
      • Design Rights Lawyers
      • Image Rights Lawyers
      • Online Marketplace Seller Account Or Listing Suspensions
      • Stopping IP Infringement By Sellers On Online Marketplaces
      • Patent Lawyers
      • Trade Mark Lawyers
      • Trade Secrets Lawyers
    • Legal Helpline
    • Licensing
      • Licensing
      • Licensing Home
      • Betting & Gaming Licensing
      • Event Licences
      • Alcohol Licensing
    • Pensions
      • Pensions
      • Pensions Home
      • Employment
      • Managing Death Benefit Trusts
    • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance Home
      • Road Transport & Operator Compliance
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Regulatory Investigations
      • Account Freezing Orders
      • Anti-Money Laundering
      • Companies House Prosecutions
      • Environment & Safety Regulatory Compliance
      • Financial Services Regulation
    • Real Estate
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate Home
      • Corporate Occupiers
      • Real Estate Development and Regeneration
      • Construction & Engineering
      • Environmental
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Real Estate Investment
      • Later Living & Care
      • Planning
      • Property Litigation & Real Estate Disputes
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Residential Development
      • Strategic Land
      • Structured Real Estate
    • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency Home
      • Corporate Insolvency
      • Partnership Insolvency
      • Directors' Duties
      • Restructuring Plans
      • Debt Recovery (up to £100,000) – Pricing
      • Restructuring
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Corporate Tax
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Tax Investigations
  • People
    • People
    • People Home
    • Search By Name
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Expertise
    • Business Management
  • Offices
    • Offices
    • Offices Home
    • Birmingham
    • Brighton
    • Bristol
    • Cambridge
    • Cardiff
    • Chichester
    • Edinburgh
    • Gatwick
    • Glasgow
    • Leeds
    • Liverpool
    • London
    • Manchester
    • Middlesbrough
    • Newbury
    • Newcastle
    • North Yorkshire
    • Nottingham
    • Reading
    • Sheffield
    • Southampton
  • Contact
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
Irwin Mitchell Logo
Dialog with Irwin Mitchell phone number
Call us on 0800 056 4110

We're here 24/7, 365 days a year.

  • Home
  • Personal
  • Personal Injury Claims
  • Accident At Work Claims
  • Manual Handling Claims

Manual Handling Claims

Trustpilot

‘Manual handling’ is a term given to transporting loads, including techniques such as lifting, putting items down, pushing, pulling or carrying. When this work isn’t carried out correctly injuries can occur, sometimes leading to long term damage.

Your employer has a duty to reduce your risk of injury at work, so should make sure that all manual handling tasks are performed safely. This should be done by providing you with the right training and equipment needed to do the job.

If you’ve been injured because health and safety guidelines weren’t followed by your employer, we could help you make a manual handling compensation claim.

With manual handling accidents accounting for 40% of all workplace accidents, our specialist solicitors have years of experience handling claims of this type and have the knowledge needed to get you the compensation you deserve.

By coming to us with your manual handling injury claim, you can be reassured that our lawyers will do all they can to make sure that your claim has the best chance possible of being successful. We have a proven track record with personal injury cases and have secured over £1.5 billion in compensation for our clients over the last two years.

Our manual handling solicitors could also accept your workplace accident claim on a No Win No Fee* basis, which means that you won’t have to pay any legal fees if your claim is unsuccessful.

To find out more about making a manual handling injury claim, call us free on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.

No Win No Fee*
Offices across the country
Help accessing medical support and rehabilitation
Specialist workplace accident solicitors

Call us for a free initial consultation

0800 056 4110

Or we can call you back at a time of your choice

Phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Contact us today

For a free initial consultation

Freephone

0800 056 4110

Prefer not to call?

Use our form

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

Stephen Nye
Stephen Nye Partner Meet the team

Manual Handling Claims - More Information

Compensation can make a real difference to your life, ensuring that you can access the healthcare and support to make the best recovery you can. When you have injured yourself at work, there are things that will need to be paid for while you can't work:

  • Private healthcare treatment
  • Physiotherapy - recovering from back or neck injuries sustained when not lifting objects correctly or without the correct equipment or training, can take time, physio will help with this
  • Psychological therapy
  • Expenses (such as travel costs to hospital appointments)
  • Loss of income - if you can't return to work immediately, your compensation can take care of household bills even if you are self-employed
  • Household adaptations

The amount of compensation you receive will depend on the severity of the manual handling injuries and the likelihood that you’ll be able to return to work. We’ll seek expert opinions on what care you’ll need to ensure that the compensation we claim will be sufficient.

If your employer accepts responsibility for lack of training or equipment, we could help you get early compensation payments. Often known as interim payments, these funds will be taken from your final settlement and can help pay for ongoing care costs and expenses, before your claim has settled.

We could help you make a claim if you’ve been injured because of a manual handling accident in the workplace, whether you’re an employee, contractor, a member of the public or a visitor.

Even if you’re a casual worker or consider yourself to be self-employed, you might still be considered as an employee under UK law, giving you the same rights as other workers when it comes to health and safety.

If you’re an agency worker who has had an accident at work involving manual handling, both the agency you work for and the owners of the business should take responsibility for your safety, training and providing the right lifting equipment. They should work together to make sure that precautions are in place to protect you.

We can also help with claims being made on behalf of others including:

  • On behalf of a child who has been in an accident before their 18th birthday
  • For someone who doesn’t have the mental capacity to handle their own case

Once we have more information about how you were injured at work and what sort of precautions your employer took to ensure you had the right lifting equipment and training, we’ll get in touch with those responsible for your accident.

If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments which can fund private medical care and ongoing expenses, before your claim fully settles. Any interim payments will be taken out of your final compensation award. Our lawyers will look into your case in detail, gathering evidence from independent medical professionals and health & safety specialists. These experts will analyse why your manual handling accident happened and can determine any future implications to your health. They’ll also advise us on the care you’ll need in the future. If you can't return to work because of back or neck issues then you may need to change jobs or re-train.

Many of our cases are funded with a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.

At the start of your claim, we’ll discuss the funding options available, advising you which we think is the most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI), or can access support through trade union membership, these may be best for you. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household and car insurance policies, so it’s always worth checking whether you’re already covered.

Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.

Client Jaxx Cave

I'm relieved that I can continue to improve my recovery by accessing specialist rehabilitation services which have helped me get this far."

Jaxx, client

Frequently Asked Questions

How Are Manual Handling Accidents Caused?

Our lawyers could help you make a compensation claim if you were injured because of problems with your:

  • Load – injuries can be caused if loads are too heavy, too big, if an item’s difficult to grasp, or if the load’s unbalanced/unstable or difficult to reach.
  • Task – when a task is too strenuous or involves lifting a load in an awkward posture, you should be advised against doing this work.
  • Environment – accidents are more likely if the surrounding area has slippery/unstable flooring, if you don’t have enough space, if conditions are too hot or too cold and if there isn’t a reasonable amount of light.
  • Individual circumstances – if you don’t feel that you have adequate experience, training or good enough health to carry out a task, you should inform your employer so they can provide training, modify the task or allocate it to someone else.

What Injuries Could I Claim For?

Injuries caused by manual handling are classed as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), a term which covers any injury, damage or disorder which causes harm to the joints or the tissue in your limbs or back. MSDs account for more than a third of all work-related injuries (statistics include MSDs caused by manual handling) and can cause excruciating pain.

We’ve previously helped a number of clients to claim compensation after they’ve been involved in manual handling accidents, with injuries including:

  • Back injuries
  • Injuries to arms and legs (including fractures and breaks)
  • Muscular injuries
  • Worsening existing medical conditions

By making a claim, you could get compensation to pay for rehabilitative treatment to make sure your injuries heal as well as possible. Our support and rehabilitation coordinators can help you access this care and support, using their contacts based across the UK.

For more information on how making a compensation claim could benefit you, contact our team today free on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online and we’ll get back to you.

What Regulations Should My Employer Have Followed?

Any employer who knows that their staff will be conducting manual handling as part of their role should follow the regulations set out as part of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (1992). This piece of legislation provides advice for activities including lifting, lowering...

... pushing, pulling and carrying. Your employer should make sure that these rules are followed and provide guidance and training in order to prevent lifting that’s too heavy, performed with an awkward posture and to stop existing injuries becoming worse.

Before allowing you to complete manual handling at work, your employer should always:

  • Consider the risks associated with the task
  • Check if you have any specific requirements (such as injuries and disabilities)
  • Assess any potential injury risks
  • Advise you on the correct processes for the task
  • Check if the risk of injury can be controlled (such as using conveyors, pallet trucks, hoists and lift trucks)
  • Consider whether moving the object/materials is necessary
  • Talk to you for your views on any potential hazards

Your employer should also regularly complete and update risk assessments to prove that the correct precautions are in place.

If you’ve been injured because health and safety regulations weren’t followed, we could help you make a claim. To find out more about how we could help, contact us today on 0800 056 4110.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Manual Handling Claims

Warehouse Accident Claims If you’ve been injured because you employer didn’t prevent warehouse hazards, we could help
Factory Accident Claims A variety of injuries can happen in factories when precautions aren’t followed
Construction Accident Claims Building sites are notoriously dangerous so we’re here to help if you’ve been injured due to your employer’s negligence
Employment Our team can offer advice and support to resolve any employment issues you might have

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

Contact Us

Give us a ring to speak to a member of our team in the strictest confidence. Or you can fill out our contact form and we'll ring you back.

0370 1500 100

Our phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Get a call back

Fill in your details below and we'll be in touch as soon as possible

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

  • Contact
  • 0370 1500 100
  • Contact Irwin Mitchell
  • Social Media
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • About Irwin Mitchell
  • About Us
  • Responsible Business
  • Careers
  • Business Management
  • Alumni Programme
  • Pay A Bill
  • Complaints Procedure
  • SRA Regulated
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy & Security
  • Hoaxes
  • Modern Slavery Act Statement
  • Manage Cookie Settings

© 2025  Irwin Mitchell LLP

Irwin Mitchell LLP is authorised & regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our Regulatory Information

Dialog that contains a form to request a callback.

Request A Callback

Enter your details below and a member of our team will contact you within 24 hours

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.