If you are injured at work due to lack of training, you may be able to claim compensation for personal injuries against your employer. This is especially the case, if your job involves any form of ‘manual handling’. This term includes lifting, pulling or pushing and an injury can happen in many ways.
This was the case for a factory cleaner who came to see Bartletts specialist personal injury solicitors in Wrexham after she injured her back trying to move some machinery at work.
The 40-year-old lady had been working in the factory for some time and had the same cleaning routine every day. She routinely moved heavy pieces of machinery so that she could clean underneath, but one day she felt sharp pain in her back while trying to shift some equipment.
The lady went to her GP and was examined and diagnosed with a soft tissue back injury. She was advised to rest and was prescribed painkillers to relieve her pain. She was unable to work for two months following the accident, and needed physiotherapy to help her regain mobility. She continued to suffer from intermittent discomfort in her back, on an ongoing basis after two years.
Even though she was required to move heavy equipment to do her job, the lady had never received any manual handling training from her employer. On discovering this our experienced personal injury solicitor quickly helped the lady make a claim for compensation for personal injuries, and compensation for lost earnings from her employer.
The employer’s insurance company argued that as she had not been required to lift the equipment, the employer was not obliged to provide training. Our experienced personal injury lawyer successfully asserted that the definition of manual handling does not require lifting, but can include moving and secured the compensation she deserved.
Bartletts personal injury solicitors negotiated a significant amount of compensation for personal injuries, compensation for loss of earnings and reimbursement of travel expenses.
