23 Aug Claiming for a Back injury at work
Back injuries at work are now amongst the top workplace injuries that employees are claiming for. These types of personal injuries can arise for many reasons, including accidents at work, manual handling, long periods of physical labour or improper posture while sitting at a desk for long hours.
What are the symptoms of a back injury?
Back injuries you receive at work can lower your quality of life for either a short or long period, depending on the severity of your injury. You may also suffer from partial or full paralysis, chronic pain or difficulty with everyday activities such as walking or bending over depending on the severity of the injury.
What are the types of back injuries I can claim compensation for?
Specific types of back injuries include:
- Long-term suffering or chronic pain
- Soft tissue damage
- Prolapsed discs or herniated discs
- Tendon or ligament damage
- Paraplegia
- Partial or full paralysis
What are the causes of back injury at work claims?
Back injuries at work can arise for many reasons including the following:
- Manual handling of heavy objects
- Receiving no or improper manual handling training
- Unsafe systems of work
- Unsafe workplace
- Sitting with poor posture for extended periods
- Slips, trips, falls or other personal injuries
- Long periods of physical labour
- Quick or sudden movements resulting in injury
- Objects falling on top of you
What to do if I receive a back injury at work?
- You should receive medical treatment as soon as possible
- Your employer may send you to their own doctor. Even if they do and say you are fit for work, you should still visit your own independent GP
- Report the accident to your employer
- Ensure the accident and your injury is noted on your employer’s accident log book
- Get the details of any of your colleagues or passers-by who witnessed the accident
- Obtain details of your company training log if you believe it is out of date or insufficient
- Call your personal injury solicitor
- The above steps will help make your compensation claim run more smoothly, but if you have not yet carried out the above, it is still a good idea to contact our personal injury solicitors to discuss your claim
How much compensation can I claim for a back injury at work?
Compensation awarded for any workplace injury depends on multiple factors:
- Was your employer fully or only partially responsible for your injury?
- Have you any loss of earnings?
- Will the injury affect your long-term earning potential?
- What is the cost of other expenses you have incurred?
Compensation also depends on the type of injury you received, the severity of your injury, how long lasting the effects of the injury will be and the part of your body that was injured.
To better estimate your compensation expectations, and whether you have a case, please speak to one of our personal injury solicitors or download our free Compensations Claims eBook.
