Wherever you work and whatever industry you work in, if you have to lift and carry anything at all, you should receive proper manual handling training and any manual handling tasks should be properly risk assessed and supervised. Everyone in our office is trained – the rules apply to everyone.
But one such industry where manual handling training is often inadequate or not carried at properly, or at all, is the catering industry. There are a lot of temporary and part time workers, and a lot of staff come and go in short periods of time. But this is no excuse. In fact, there is never an excuse.
So if you are injured when lifting and carrying in a restaurant, cafe, bar, or other catering environment, can you make a claim for personal injury compensation?
The Law
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 is an important piece of legislation that puts a duty on employers to ensure that staff are properly trained and supervised when it comes to manual handling and ensure tasks are risk assessed. In fact, the initial duty is to prevent the need for manual handling whatsoever. So if equipment can be used to limit or remove the need for manual handling, this needs to be used.
Common scenarios in this kind of industry that involve manual handling can include:
- Lifting plates or other crockery / utensils.
- Moving boxes of food and product between areas or from deliveries.
- Moving chairs, tables, and other furniture.
Whether the injury is caused by poor lifting technique due to no or inadequate training, loads being too heavy or not enough people being available to assist in a lift, or continual lifting and carrying causing a strain injury over time, you may have a valid claim for personal injury compensation.
If the injury is caused because your employer has failed to adhere to the important rules and regulations when it comes to manual handling in the workplace, you should have a workplace injury claim.
How does making a claim affect me at work?
It is your legal right to make a claim for personal injury compensation, and you are protected by law when making a claim. As such, you cannot be legally sacked or treated differently for making a claim.
Even if you are a new starter or part time / casual worker, you are still covered by your employers insurance and can still make a claim for personal injury compensation.
For this type of case, we offer our clients a unique 100% compensation agreement and we work on a genuine No Win, No Fee basis. For help and advice, or just an informal chat about your options, call our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75 today.
