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Manual handling is the term describing the techniques used by nurses, other health professionals and carers, for the safest methods of lifting people who cannot help themselves. Failing to use these methods correctly may result in an accident at work.
When someone is confined to bed or has very limited movement through accident, illness or the frailty of old age, they will often need help from someone younger and fitter in order to deal with their basic needs such as getting up, washing, dressing, eating and going to the toilet.
Although this assistance is a basic human right in terms of dignity and care for the person being lifted, the person who is doing the lifting as part of their employment also has a right to be protected from harm while carrying out their job.
An employee who is expected to manually handled people on either a regular or occasional basis should have been thoroughly trained in the most efficient method of doing this for the benefit of the patient, added to the need of protecting the worker themselves from incurring an industrial injury.
The majority of employees in the care industry are women, some of whom are of small stature anyway, and many will have lower back muscles weakened through giving birth. This group of workers should have particular protection from suffering industrial injury because it can leave them with a life-long legacy of pain and suffering, as well as being unable to continue in their job.
Although there is no official maximum weight a person should lift during the course of their work, effective training in techniques allied to mechanical means of lifting are the recommended ways to avoid musculoskeletal injury.
One worker on his or her own should not attempt to lift an inert person either out of bed or from a sitting to a standing position. A second carer should be available so that the lift is evenly distributed between the two.
Simple mechanical hoists are invaluable in helping people move from a bed to a chair or in and out of a bath but, as with most equipment, it needs to be used safely, sensibly and in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Training in the use of such equipment is the responsibility of the employer but the users themselves should not take risks when operating them, otherwise harm might be caused not only to the operative but also to the person being lifted.
With so many specially-designed aids now available for private and institutional use, there is no excuse for a carer to suffer from a work-related spine injury brought about by incorrect lifting procedure.
However, some nursing homes and residential care units may have out-of-date hoists, which are broken or poorly-maintained, and management may be careless in its attitude to the health and safety of staff. In this situation, if a worker hurts themselves while lifting someone, there may be grounds for starting a claim for compensation for an industrial injury.
Solicitor for accident at work
Most people who are employed in caring for others are kind, helpful and want to do their best for those unable to look after themselves but sometimes they can get carried away with a situation or be asked to do a task which is beyond their training or capabilities, and they may then suffer an accident at work.
YouClaim has solicitors available throughout the UK to help people who have suffered accident or injury in the workplace and they have helped many sufferers to achieve justified compensation for pain, suffering and loss of earnings which occurred through no fault of their own.
To find out how the legal team at YouClaim can assist you if you have a back injury or similar problem as a result of an accident at work, you can email anytime by using the online claim form on this page, start a webchat or call us on 0800 10 757 95.
