Last Updated 5th September 2025. Manual handling injury claims are made to seek compensation for injuries that have been sustained due to the negligent actions of employers.
These accidents may occur while pushing, carrying, pulling, or lifting objects. For a manual handling injury claim to be successful, you must prove that your employer failed to fulfil their responsibility to protect your safety, causing your injuries. This could lead to injuries, including musculoskeletal disorders, back problems, and dislocations.
Many different job roles involve manual handling tasks. Any time you carry out such a task at work, there is the potential risk of injury. In our guide, we look at how our specialist solicitors could help you to claim compensation for a manual handling accident at work, what the process involves, and what your rights are.
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4.8 (466 reviews) Key Takeaways
- You could make a manual handling injury claim if your employer failed to follow proper lifting and handling safety procedures, resulting in your injury.
- To support your claim, you’ll need evidence such as accident reports, witness statements, medical records, or manual handling training logs.
- Compensation may cover pain and suffering, lost income, rehabilitation costs, and other financial losses caused by the injury.
- Legal Expert’s No Win No Fee solicitors can help you build a strong claim and pursue the full compensation you deserve.
What Is A Manual Handling Injury?
Manual handling is the act of lifting, supporting, moving or otherwise transporting a load using your body. Manual handling may involve lifting objects, moving a roll cage or unloading a lorry. Your job may require you to move objects, animals or even people. You may use moving and handling equipment, such as lifting straps, wheeled trolleys or powered trucks.
Manual handling accidents could lead to a wide variety of different injuries, such as back injuries, dislocations, strains and sprains.
How Common Are Manual Handling Injuries In The Workplace?
Manual handling operations are one of the most common causes of workplace injuries. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is Britain’s regulatory body for workplace safety, handling, lifting or carrying accounted for 17% of workplace accidents in 2023/24.
According to the HSE, the following industries suffered the most manual handling accidents in this period:
- Human health and social work – 2,221
- Manufacturing – 1,974
- Transportation and storage – 1,713
- Wholesale and retail – 1,347
- Construction – 742
If you have suffered an injury in the workplace, our team could help you to make a manual handling injury claim. Contact our advisors today.
Could I Make A Manual Handling Injury Claim?
In order to make a manual handling injury claim, such as for an unloading injury, you must show that your employer was at fault.
Your employer has a duty of care to take reasonable steps to ensure your health and safety within the workplace, as stated within the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Furthermore, The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 set out the specific rules and guidance employers must adhere to when assigning manual handling tasks.
To make a personal injury claim following a manual handling accident, you must prove:
- Your employer had a duty of care.
- They have breached this duty of care. For example, they may have failed to provide you with the necessary training.
- This breach resulted in your accident and injuries. For example, having no training caused a lifting accident.
4.8 (466 reviews) What Should My Employer Do To Protect Me From Manual Handling Injuries?
The HSE provides guidance to employers on steps they could take to avoid manual handling accidents and reduce the risk of injuries. These steps include:
- Avoid any hazardous manual handling tasks as far as reasonably possible.
- Assess any manual handling that cannot be avoided.
- Make loads lighter, smaller or easier to grasp.
- Break larger loads into smaller ones where possible.
- Ensure staff have received appropriate training on lifting and carrying.
To see whether you could be eligible to make a manual handling injury claim, you can contact our advisors.
How Could A Manual Handling Accident Happen?
There are various ways that a manual handling injury could be suffered in the workplace. Some examples could include:
- You suffer a back injury when trying to pick up a load incorrectly due to not receiving any manual handling training.
- Your employer informs you to carry a load by yourself that two people should carry due to its weight. This causes you to drop the load on your foot and suffer a crush injury to your toes.
- You are not given sufficient rest periods of breaks after carrying various loads for a number of hours. This causes you to suffer a soft tissue injury in your back and a sprained wrist injury.
These are some common causes of manual handling injuries. If you’re particular accident isn’t listed here, this doesn’t mean you can’t claim. Contact our advisors to discuss your case.
What Can Manual Handling Compensation Cover?
Manual handling compensation could cover both your injuries as well as expenses and losses caused by these injuries.
Compensation for your injuries is awarded under general damages. This takes account of the injury you suffered and how serious it was.
Whoever is valuing your claim may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG includes guideline compensation ranges for different types of injury to varying degrees of severity.
With the exception of the first row, our table below includes some of the compensation brackets from the JCG. Please keep in mind that these brackets are only suggestive and not to be seen as a guarantee of compensation.
| Injury | Severity | Damages |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries with special damages (e.g. physiotherapy costs) | Severe | Up to £250,000+ |
| Neck | Severe (ii) | £80,240 to £159,770 |
| Moderate (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 | |
| Back | Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Moderate (ii) | £15,260 to £33,880 | |
| Foot | Serious | £30,500 to £47,840 |
| Elbow | Less severe | £19,100 to £39,070 |
| Wrist | Less severe | £15,370 to £29,900 |
| Shoulder | Serious | £15,580 to £23,430 |
4.8 (466 reviews) Can Compensation Cover My Lost Earnings?
Your manual handling compensation claim can also address any loss of earnings caused by the accident as well as other related expenses. These would be awarded under special damages.
You may have had to take time off work to recover from your injury or no longer be able to work as you did before. You may also have lost employer contributions to your pension fund and other workplace benefits. As well as being able to claim for lost income, you could claim for:
- Medical treatment, care and medication.
- The cost of travelling to medical appointments.
- Expenses related to adapting your home to cope with your injuries.
You must provide evidence of these losses with documents such as receipts, payslips, and bank statements. Find out how to calculate an accident at work claim by contacting our team today.
What To Do After Suffering A Manual Handling Injury
Any type of accident at work claim, such as manual handling compensation claims, must provide sufficient evidence that proves how the employer was liable and what injuries were suffered.
Below we look at some of the steps you could take following a manual handling accident at work and look at how they could help you prove your claim.
- Seek medical care – your immediate step should be to seek any medical care and treatment you need. You can also request copies of your medical records. These can help to show what manual handling injuries you sustained.
- Complete the accident report book – workplaces with 10 or more employees legally should have an accident report book in which you can log your accident and injuries. You can also request a copy of this record to use as evidence.
- Request CCTV footage of yourself – you may request CCTV footage which captured the accident taking place.
- Photograph any visible injuries – taking photos can help to show the progress of any visible injuries over time.
- Get witness contact details – ask for the contact information of anyone who witnessed your accident.
Our solicitors are experienced in helping people to make successful manual handling injury claims. Contact our team to find out how they could help you gather evidence.
How Long Do I Have To Start My Work Injury Claim?
You must begin your manual handling injury claim within the relevant time limit. The Limitation Act 1980 sets out the accident at work claim time limit as three years. This runs from the date the accident took place.
There are circumstances in which you could claim compensation outside of this time limit. These include:
- Those injured under the age of 18 cannot start their own claim until the date of their 18th birthday. They will then have three years from this date.
- Those who are unable to make their own claim due to a lack of the required mental capacity will have the time limit suspended indefinitely. The time limit will only begin if they regain this capacity and will run from the recovery date.
In either of these instances, a litigation friend may claim on behalf of the injured person whilst the time limit is suspended.
Get in touch with our team today to find out if you could make a claim on behalf of someone else. One of our experts could also advise you on what time limit may apply to your manual handling accident claim.
Make A Manual Handling Injury Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you are eligible to make a manual handling claim, you may wonder what the benefits are of hiring legal representation. Our solicitors assist claimants by providing dedicated legal services tailored to each case. These include:
- Helping you to collect the evidence that will strengthen your case for compensation
- Explaining complicated legal terms in a straightforward and understandable way
- Negotiating the level of compensation owed to include the impact that is relevant to your claim
- Putting you in touch with experts who can aid your recovery (such as psychologists or physiotherapists)
- Communicating with the defending party on your behalf
Not only can you benefit from their decades of combined experience, but you can do so on a No Win No Fee basis. This means that, through a Conditional Fee Agreement, you would not need to pay your solicitor for their work before or during the claim. You also would not need to pay these solicitor fees if the claim is unsuccessful.
However, if you receive compensation for a manual handling injury, you would need to pay a success fee. This is a legally capped percentage of the compensation that you owe to your solicitor for their services. The cap ensures that you keep the majority of the compensation yourself.
Get In Touch With Our Team Today
If you need to make a manual handling injury claim, our team could help you. Get in touch with our expert advisors today by:
4.8 (466 reviews) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below, you can find answers to some frequently asked questions on making a manual handling injury claim.
What Regulations Govern Manual Handling And How Can They Support My Claim?
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR) require employers to assess and reduce the risk of manual tasks that could cause injury. If your employer failed to conduct risk assessments, provide training, or supply lifting aids, that breach can strengthen your manual handling injury claim. Proving a regulatory violation often bolsters your legal argument.
What Compensation Ranges Could I Expect For A Manual Handling Injury Claim?
There is no fixed amount; compensation varies by injury severity, recovery outlook, and personal impact. Minor injuries might attract a few thousand pounds, while severe musculoskeletal damage or permanent impairment could lead to far higher awards (sometimes £20,000+ in serious cases).
Can A Manual Handling Injury Claim Cover Conditions That Develop Over Time?
Yes. Some manual handling injuries develop gradually through repeated strain or misuse (e.g. tendonitis, rotator cuff injuries, chronic back pain). In these cases, your claim may rely on the “date of knowledge” (when you understood the link to work).
How Might My Employer Defend A Manual Handling Injury Claim?
Employers often contest liability by arguing you ignored safety guidelines, performed tasks outside your role, or contributed to risk (contributory negligence). They may rely on training logs, safety audits, or witness testimony. Our solicitors counter these defences using expert reports, safety records, witness statements, and reconstructing the incident to protect your compensation.
What Are The Typical Stages And Timeline For A Manual Handling Injury Claim?
Most claims progress through investigation, medical evaluation, letter of claim, negotiation, and settlement or court hearing. If liability is admitted early, a simple claim might conclude in 6–9 months. In contested or complex cases, it could take 12–18+ months. Legal Expert manages every stage closely and keeps you updated on realistic timeframes.
What Immediate Steps Should I Take After A Manual Handling Accident?
Acting quickly helps preserve evidence and strengthens your claim. Key steps you can take include: seek medical attention, report in writing to your employer, photograph the scene and any hazards, collect witness details, retain any clothing or equipment involved, and contact Legal Expert promptly so we can begin gathering evidence and safeguard your rights.
Can I Claim Against A Third Party For A Manual Handling Injury?
Yes, in some cases, a third party may be responsible. For instance, a defective lifting aid manufacturer, a contractor supplying goods, or a maintenance provider. If their negligence contributed to the injury, you may have a third-party claim in addition to your employer claim. Our solicitors can evaluate whether a third-party claim is viable in your situation.
Can I Get Interim Payments While My Manual Handling Claim Is Ongoing?
In certain circumstances, you may apply for an interim payment (advance) if you have urgent expenses (e.g. medical costs, lost income) and your case is partly accepted. This payment is deducted from your final award.
What Is The Time Limit For Starting A Manual Handling Injury Claim?
In the UK, you generally have three years from the date of the injury to initiate a manual handling injury claim. However, if your injury is gradual or due to long-term strain, the time limit may begin from the “date you knew” of the condition’s cause. Exceptions may also apply for minors or those lacking capacity. It’s best to start your claim sooner rather than later.
Can I Claim For Manual Handling Injuries That Happened Abroad?
Possibly, if your employer has UK ties or the contract is subject to UK law. Cross-border manual handling claims are more complex, involving jurisdiction, local legal standards, and evidence logistics. Legal Expert can assess whether your overseas injury qualifies and guide you through international claims considerations.
Further Resources On Accident At Work Claims
Learn more about other accident at work claims we could help with:
- Learn about claiming for a serious injury after an accident at work.
- See if you could claim after operating dangerous machinery at work.
- Learn who pays your damages after a work-related injury.
External resources:
- In this government resource, you can find out how to request CCTV footage of yourself.
- Check how to tell the HSE about a health and safety issue in this resource.
- Learn more about back pain and its treatments from the NHS.
Thank you for reading our guide to making a manual handling injury claim.
