Manual handling tasks can be delegated to you whatever role you may be in. If you work in an office, you may be asked to move a box of heavy files, or if you work in a library you may be asked to carry a box of books. Manual handling tasks need not simply be heavy lifting, but could also include the pushing and pulling of machinery. Whatever manual handling task you do, there are duties on your employer, and these will be the subject of the following blog.

Manual handling in the workplace is regulated through the use of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations Act 1992 (amended in 2002). This sets out the duties of employers when their employees are carrying out manual handling tasks.

The legislation need not be the topic of this entire blog, but there is a hierarchy of control measures which can be taken from it:
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Repetitive Strain Injury, or RSI, is a common problem nowadays that can not only affect those in manual jobs, but also the thousands of office based workers who are sat in the same position day in day out typing away on their computers.

Any form of repetitive tasks can cause an RSI, of which there are two common types:

Type 1: This is where your injury can be given an accurate diagnosis by a medical professional – a diagnosis such as Tendonitis, which is the inflammation of tendons.
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There has been a lot in the news recently regarding referrals fees – or as Jack Straw described them, the insurers’ ‘dirty little secret’.  Here is a quick guide:

A referral fee is a fee which a law firm pays insurers upon agreement that their insured’s’ contact details will be passed to them where this person is likely due compensation having been involved in an accident whereby they suffered an injury through no fault of their own.  This fee can be anything in the region of £200 to £1,000!  As such, this has seen the advent of claims management companies, or middlemen, who make their money from buying insured people’s contact details and selling them to law firms for profit.  This has been happening for approximately 20 years, believe it or not.  Further, as the BBC has reported today, the ‘racket’ goes further than just referral fees – It may involve cold calling or texting potential accident victims who have not provided their mobile numbers to any of them directly.
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When people call us up to see if they can make a claim for compensation for the injuries they have suffered at the hands of a negligent third party, apart from wanting to know how much their claim is worth, they generally want to know what happens.  In other words, they want to know each stage of the claim.  I have therefore compiled this quick guide to the compensation claiming process:

Step 1: Letter of Claim

In almost every claim for compensation, except for those where you have been injured in what is considered to be a low value road traffic accident, your lawyers will need to submit a Letter of Claim to the other side.  The Letter of Claim is a straightforward letter which outlines the details of your accident, your injuries, and particularises why we believe the Defendant is at fault and should compensate you for your injuries. 
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Choosing a law firm to instruct for your claim can be difficult; especially when there are so many firms to choose from. The following blog aims to make this process of choosing easier, as I will point out things to look out for in firms.

A first point to note, however, is that you should go to a law firm directly, and ensure not to use referral agencies or your insurer to direct you to a law firm. Agencies and insurers essentially act as middlemen on claims, selling them on for a fee of what could be up to £1,000 – so, if a law firm has paid as much as this for your claim, it’s likely that they’ll work less on your claim in order to redress the balance in their loss of profits. This can lead to receiving a poorer service, having a claim that drags on for longer than it has to, or the firm failing to maximise your compensation.

The following are important items to look out for in a law firm:
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Walking over manholes and utility covers are a thing of superstition – some people do not mind walking over them, and some try to avoid them at all costs. Myself, I try to avoid walking over them not due to superstition, but also due to the many claims we get in here at The Injury Lawyers on a daily basis that involve manhole and utility covers.

If you have been injured due to a manhole or defective utility cover, and it was through no fault of your own, you may have a claim for personal injury. A couple of examples of common accidents we see here at The Injury Lawyers are as follows:
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It seems that one of the first questions clients ask us here at The Injury Lawyers is – what is my claim worth? At the very early stages of a claim, this is a difficult question to answer; however, due to our skill and experience here at The Injury Lawyers, we are often able to give a ball park figure around which we think your claim may potentially be worth.

We like to explain the claiming process fully to our clients, so I have written an in depth blog explaining compensation.

Compensation can also be called ‘damages’ and there are two heads of damages for which you can claim – these being General Damages and Special Damages.
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Road traffic accidents are commonplace nowadays – I drive a 70 mile per day round trip, to and from work, so I either hear about accidents on the radio on a daily basis, or get caught up in the inevitable backlog of traffic which comes after an unfortunate accident has occurred.

It all serves to remind me that the roads can be dangerous places, and that unfortunately, some road users do not exercise the necessary care and attention when using the roads, which leads to road traffic accidents.

If you’ve been involved in an accident which is due to the negligence of another driver, you may feel helpless and frustrated, and you may be suffering financially as a result. If this is the case, you may have the recourse of beginning a claim for personal injury. Firms such as The Injury Lawyers offer free claims assessments, so there seems to be nothing to lose by simply getting some free legal advice, and assessing your options.
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I feel that there may be many blameless victims of accidents sat out there thinking that claiming for compensation is more hassle than it is worth. I am writing this blog to hopefully change this view and inform you of the benefits of bringing a claim, as they may go farther than you might think…

Compensation

The most obvious reason why people begin claims for personal injury is for compensation for their injuries.  This compensation is meant to reflect the severity of the injury, the length of time the person has suffered, and the effects the injury has had on all areas of a person’s life.

Compensation is meant to put you back in the position you would have been in had the accident never have happened. Therefore, you are also entitled to claim back any financial losses you have suffered as a result of the accident. More common types of losses can include a loss of earnings, or the cost of medical treatment.
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There are, literally, loads of acts, rules and regulations that employers must abide by to ensure the health and safety of their staff is always maintained adequately. If your employers have good practices and procedures in place to ensure all of these are followed, there should rarely be any accidents or incidents taking place.

Your employers, for example, have a duty in the following common areas of regulation:

Traffic Routes (Floors, walkways, paths etc)

Your employer must ensure that all traffic routes and walkways are free from defects and hazards. To uphold this, there should be a regular system of inspection and maintenance in place to ensure that any defects are rectified or cordoned off, and any spillages or other material hazards are removed as quickly as possible. The simple example is that it must be someone’s job to look out for spillages on a regular basis, and make sure to cordon them off and clear them away as soon as they are spotted.  A regime should be in place to check for these – e.g. every half an hour for each area or so.
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