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During work hours employees are regularly asked to lift items of different weights from boxes of heavy food goods to those containing soft-toys. Workplace accidents might occur if an employee carries, or has to lift, a heavy item without having received the correct training, or if the employer has placed heavy items in dangerous places, making it hard for the employee to lift them safely.
It is up to the employer to train their workers and to have items placed in areas of the workplace which enable them to be lifted safely.
Manual Handling Operation Regulations
Employees should follow all guidance which has been given to them during their training and should they identify a health and safety hazard they should report it to their employer.
However, sometimes the employee is unable to follow this rule from the regulations as their employer has not given them the training which would allow them to know how to safely lift heavy items, or how to spot possible dangers.
In these situations the greatest responsibility rests with the employer as written in the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1977.
It is the employer's responsibility to avoid the need for those in their employment to do any manual handling, if possible, but if it is necessary for the employees to lift items then the employers must reduce the risk of an accident at work, by giving the proper training and placing heavy items lower down on shelves.
It is also important that as well as assessing the workplace for possible hazards, the employees are also assessed individually for risks.
A young woman may not physically be able to lift a certain item safely, no matter how much training she is given. Similarly, a person with small stature may not be able to see over the item which they are carrying in order to walk safely through the workplace.
What should employee training cover?
By the end of their training, the employees should know:
Manual handling problems and ways to reduce risks
There are problems faced in manual handling which could easily be reduced or eradicated completely if a proper risk assessment is undertaken. The HSE Getting to Grips with Manual Handling: A Short Guide, lists various problems, and the ways in which they can be solved.
One of the simplest methods of reducing the risk of a work injury is by making sure that heavy items are not lifted from the floor, or from above shoulder height. The position which the worker's body will be in, if lifting from these positions, might strain their muscles or joints and cause them to seriously hurt themselves.
The guidelines note that the tips given are not regulations themselves, and can be ignored, but this will increase the risk of someone sustaining an injury at work.
It is also important to remember that by ignoring the guide, the employer will not be following the regulation which states that they are to reduce the risk of injury as much as possible. This is something they must do by law.
Have you had a workplace accident while heavy-lifting?
If your employer has not given you the correct training, or has placed heavy items at an inappropriate level to be lifted safely, and this has resulted in you sustaining an injury, then they may be found liable, and you could make an accident compensation claim.
YouClaim understand the stress and pain which can be caused when you are injured at work. Not only can it be physically difficult to do everyday tasks, but you may need to take time off work until you recover which could cause you to lose money.
Our personal injury solicitors work on a no win, no fee basis and don't take a penny of your compensation should your claim be successful. You get 100% compensation.
Furthermore, our services won't cost you a thing, so you can have complete piece of mind financially.
So, if you would like to make a workplace accident claim, then simply fill out our short online Can I claim? form and we will call you back about your case.
Alternatively, you could phone us on 0800 10 757 95.
