Updated 17th November 2025.
For some people, heavy lifting is a part of their job role, and for others, it’s the main function of their workplace duties. Consequently, it’s vital that these employees are provided with everything they require to move heavy loads safely and avoid injury. For the employer, it’s critical that they provide their employees with essentials such as adequate training, mechanical aids, and well-lit workspaces to keep everyone safe. However, this is not always the case, resulting in employees getting hurt. If this has happened to you while working, we actively encourage you to look into heavy lifting injury compensation claims. We understand that this may be daunting, but don’t worry, we can help you secure personal injury compensation.
Here at Legal Expert, our advisors are well-versed in heavy lifting claims and are more than happy to help you across various fronts. This can include assessing your eligibility in relation to a heavy lifting injury claim, as well as providing you with a compensation estimate. Moreover, our solicitors will offer you their legal services on a No Win No Fee basis. Our solicitors offer this funding option because they prioritise client wellbeing above all else. If you are looking to secure legal representation that genuinely cares about you and the outcome of your heavy lifting claim, get in contact with our team today.
4.8 (466 reviews) What You Need To Know
What injuries can you sustain through heavy lifting? A few examples might be injuries to the neck, back or shoulders.
How can heavy lifting injuries be prevented? Heavy lifting injuries can be prevented by providing sufficient training, hoists and trolleys as well as clean and well-lit workspaces.
What can a solicitor help me with? A solicitor can assist by gathering evidence, preparing witness statements and guiding you through each stage of your claim.
What is the time limit to claim? The time limit is typically 3 years to start your claim from the date you suffered your heavy lifting injury.
Do I need to provide evidence to support my claim? Yes, you do, because this validates your version of events that your employer is responsible for your injury.
Heavy Lifting At Work Regulations
There are regulations in place which provide information on manual handling hazards and control measures that must be implemented to manage the hazards when lifting heavy objects at work. The first thing that employers need to ask themselves is: can manual handling be avoided completely? If it can, then an alternative approach to the task should be adapted.
As per the regulations, other steps that need to be taken include carrying out risk assessments to identify potential risks, taking measures to control these risks, providing training and PPE where required, and ensuring all lifting equipment is maintained properly. Tasks should also not be repeated repeatedly, and the maximum weight limits must have been adhered to avoid a manual handling accident.
Can I Refuse To Lift Heavy Objects At Work?
You might be wondering, ‘Can I refuse to lift heavy objects at work?’ Under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, your employer should implement appropriate measures for any risks that might occur from manual handling.
Firstly, any manual handling operations that could be considered as dangerous should be avoided so far as is reasonably practicable. Secondly, your employer should assess any hazardous operations that cannot be avoided, and if so, they should take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of injuries from lifting heavy objects.
Some examples of how your employer could enforce their duty of care include:
- Ensuring all staff have received sufficient manual handling training.
- Before asking you to perform any manual handling duties, risk assessments have been taken.
- They have provided you with any necessary lifting equipment you may need to perform your manual handling duties.
Contact our advisors to find out more about heavy lifting injury compensation claims. Our advisors could connect you with one of our accident at work solicitors who could help you with your case.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Injury When Lifting And Carrying Heavy Loads?
Lifting heavy objects at work could result in you sustaining an injury. As long as you can prove that your injuries were caused by the negligence of someone else, you’ll have grounds for a valid personal injury claim.
If you are wondering about potential injuries from lifting heavy objects, we’ve included some below:
- A strain or sprain injury
- Straining too hard could lead to a hernia injury
- You might injure your back or spinal cord whilst picking up heavy objects
- Your hands could be crushed if a load is dropped on them
- If you drop a load on your foot, it could be broken
There are plenty of other types of injuries that can be sustained in lifting accidents. If we haven’t listed your personal injury above, it doesn’t mean you aren’t eligible to make a claim. Get in touch at any time for free legal advice and we can clarify if you’re eligible for compensation.
Top Tips For Proving Heavy Lifting Injury Compensation Claims
Lifting heavy objects at work may fall under some people’s job description. However, even if this is the case, there are certain safety procedures that need to be followed. If they are not, employees could be injured as a result. Injuries from lifting heavy objects could be traced back to a breach of your employer’s duty of care. This is when they do not take all reasonable steps to make sure you are kept safe at work.
For example, there are certain techniques that employees can be trained on to reduce their risk of injury when lifting heavy objects. If this training is not given, or is not given to an adequate standard, then this could be an example of employer negligence if the employee injures themselves as a result.
However, an important part of establishing negligence is gathering evidence. We’ve included examples of some key pieces that may prove useful during this process. Although, this list is not exhaustive. There are other forms of evidence too.
- Statements from other employees – There may have been others who were also injured due to employer negligence. For example, they may have been asked to move something unreasonably heavy without assistance. These other employees could corroborate your claim by submitting their version of events.
- Visual footage – CCTV cameras are present in some workplaces. If so, you could request the footage. Taking photographs of any injuries and related hazards can also prove useful.
- Medical records – Information such as the date of your treatment and how severe the injury is can be very useful pieces of evidence to both. They can also be relevant to both establishing negligence and the process of valuing your claim.
If you’d like more examples of evidence or would like to know the answer to questions such as whether you can refuse to lift heavy objects at work, get in touch with our advisors.
Time Limit For Claiming If Injured By Heavy Lifting
Heavy lifting injury compensation claims must be made within the time limit set out in the Limitation Act 1980. Generally, you will have three years from the date of the accident to begin the claiming process.
However, in some circumstances, there are exceptions to the limitation period. These include:
- Those without the mental capacity to bring forward a claim themselves. In these cases, an indefinite suspension is applied to the limitation period, and it lasts until they’ve recovered this capacity. During this time, a court-appointed litigation friend can initiate legal proceedings on their behalf. However, if the injured party regains this capacity and a litigation friend did not already act, they will have three years from the date of recovery to launch a claim.
- Children under the age of 18. In these cases, the time limit is frozen until the injured party turns 18. Before this date, a litigation friend can launch the claim on their behalf. However, if the injured party reaches their 18th birthday and a litigation friend did not act for them, they will have three years from this date to start the claiming process.
An advisor from our team can help you get a claim for injuries suffered when lifting a heavy object started.
Compensation For Heavy Lifting Injuries
If your potential heavy lifting injury claim is successful, there are up to two heads of claim that could make up your compensation. These are general damages (awarded in all successful personal injury claims) and special damages (awarded in some successful personal injury claims).
General damages awards compensation for the physical and psychological effects of your heavy lifting injuries. This head of claim takes into account factors such as:
- Pain severity.
- Loss of amenity.
- Length of recovery.
At some point during the claims process, you may be asked to attend an independent medical assessment. Legal professionals can use the reports from this, alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), to calculate your general damages.
The JCG is a document that has guideline compensation brackets for all sorts of physical and psychological injuries/illnesses.
Guideline Compensation Table
There are some injuries in the table below that could possibly be suffered after lifting heavy objects. The guideline compensation brackets in the table have been taken from the JCG (except for the top figure).
Please remember that no specific amount of heavy lifting injury compensation can be guaranteed for your potential claim, as all claims are unique. So, please use the table below as a guideline only.
| Injury Type | Severity | Guideline payout |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries with financial losses | Serious | Up to £500,000+ where also awarded special damages which can include things such as care costs, private medical treatments and child care. |
| Knee | Severe (a) (i) - Disruption of the Joint | £85,100 to £117,410 |
| Knee | Severe (a) (iii) - Less Severe Disability | £31,960 to £53,030 |
| Knee | Moderate (b) (i) - Dislocation | £18,110 to £31,960 |
| Back | Severe (a) (iii) - Disc Lesions | £47,320 to £85,100 |
| Back | Moderate (b) (i) - Residual Disability | £33,880 to £47,320 |
| Back | Moderate (b) (ii) - Disturbance of Ligaments | £15,260 to £33,880 |
| Neck | Severe (a) (iii) - Fractures or Dislocations | £55,500 to £68,330 |
| Neck | Moderate (b) (i) - May Necessitate Spinal Fusion | £30,500 to £46,970 |
| Shoulder | Serious - Dislocation | £15,580 to £23,430 |
What Are Special Damages?
Heavy lifting injury compensation claims can include special damages. This is compensation for the monetary effects of your heavy lifting injuries. This can include:
- Loss of earnings.
- Medical bills.
- Travel expenses.
- Domestic and professional care costs.
Because special damages are not awarded in every successful case, it is essential to collect evidence of your monetary losses. Such evidence can be receipts, bank statements, payslips, and invoices.
Contact us to learn more about how your potential heavy lifting injury compensation claim may be calculated.
Can My Employer Sack Me For Claiming Against Them?
Generally, employers cannot fire employees for making heavy lifting injury compensation claims. In cases where the employer failed to uphold their duty of care, an employee has the legal right to seek compensation.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) requires your employer to take reasonable steps to protect you when you are working. For example, they must provide you with adequate training when you need to perform manual handling tasks. Therefore, if you suffer an injury while fulfilling a manual task for which your employer did not provide training, you could have valid grounds to start a workplace accident claim.
However, it is important to note that your employer may be able to sack you for an accident if you were responsible. For example, this could apply if you experienced a workplace accident due to being under the influence of alcohol.
We understand that lifting heavy objects at work claims can cause employees to feel stressed. You may become concerned that you could lose your main source of income. Recovery can already be a costly and difficult process. For further reassurance, please do not hesitate to contact one of our expert advisors. They will assess your compensation claim and explain your legal rights.
No Win No Fee Heavy Lifting Injury Compensation Claims
Starting a personal injury claim after lifting heavy objects at work can seem complex and stressful, but one of our solicitors could help on a No Win No Fee basis. With a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you can access the services of a solicitor without paying any upfront fees or ongoing costs.
If your claim succeeds, your solicitor will take a success fee from your settlement. However, this amount has a legislative cap, which means you get to keep the most of what you receive. But, if your claim doesn’t succeed, then you won’t pay a fee.
Using a solicitor for your claim comes with a lot of benefits. For example, a solicitor can help you collect evidence to support your claim, and can explain areas of the process that you may not understand.
Why Choose Us For Your Heavy Lifting Injury Compensation Claim?
At Legal Expert, our solicitors have over thirty years of experience in helping people claim compensation for their injuries. When you get in touch with our team of advisors, they can provide a free evaluation, in which you can receive free legal advice and more help. If your claim is valid, they could potentially connect you with a solicitor from our panel. To get started:
- Call on 0800 073 8804
- Start your claim online
- Use the live chat feature
Learn More About Claiming Heavy Lifting Injury Compensation
- HSE Manual Handling at Work
- Manual Handling Assessment
- Get information on claiming for a herniated disc with our helpful article.
- If you’ve injured your elbow, our elbow injury claims guide could help.
- Find out how to claim compensation if your finger was trapped in a door by reading our guide.
- Have you suffered airbag injuries after a car accident? Our guide may be able to help.
Thank you for considering our guide about heavy lifting injury compensation claims.
