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Back Injury At Work Claims Solicitors
One of our solicitors could help you make a back injury at work claim against your employer.
£100 million in compensation
Back Injury At Work Claims Solicitors
One of our solicitors could help you make a back injury at work claim against your employer.
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You could make a back injury at work claim if your injuries were caused by your employer’s failure to comply with workplace health and safety laws. Back injuries at work could be the result of inadequate training, unsafe working practices, or faulty equipment. To claim compensation you must prove that your employer was at fault, that you were injured, and that bring your claim within 3 years of the accident taking place.
Back injuries are some of the most common types of work-related injuries. Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (the independent regulator for workplace safety in Great Britain) show that 27% of new and long-term cases of work-related ill health are classified as musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Of these, 43% (or 221,000 cases) relate to the back.
One of our expert solicitors could help you if you have been injured in an accident at work which was not your fault. They are experts in helping people make successful compensation claims against their employers for a range of different back injuries and in different scenarios.
Get in touch to learn how we could help you.
- Call 0151 375 9916.
- Click to contact us about your case.
How Might A Back Injury At Work Be Caused?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identifies leading causes of back pain and injuries at work as lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling. Accidents may occur where employers ignore relevant health and safety regulations. Common accidents could include slips and falls, those involving machinery or vehicles, or poor ergonomics in an office.
Manual Handling Back Injuries
Statistics on musculoskeletal disorders highlight that manual handling injuries are the leading cause. Injuries could be caused by improper lifting techniques, overly heavy loads, insufficient training, or a lack of proper lifting equipment. For example, an employer asks a warehouse worker to lift an overly heavy load, without proper training or lifting equipment. They suffer a soft tissue injury in their lower back.
Back Injuries From Workplace Slips, Trips And Falls
HSE statistics show that slips, trips, and falls are the most common cause of non-fatal injuries at work, accounting for 30%. Poorly marked hazards or a lack of maintenance could lead to accidents. One example of this would be, an employer fails to repair a broken handrail on a staircase and does not mark it as defective. An employee uses the handrail, which collapses and causes them to fall at work. They suffer a herniated disc.
Fall From Height Back Injuries
Falls from heights account for 8% of non-fatal injuries at work, they are also a leading cause of fatal workplace injuries. Injuries could be caused by a lack of proper safety equipment, such as construction workers not being provided with the correct safety harnesses. An example of this type of accident would be an employer fails to properly secure scaffolding or attach safety rails. A construction worker trips on a hazard, falling from a height and suffering a severe spinal injury.
Back Injuries Caused By Machinery Accidents
Machinery accidents could lead to crush injuries, falls, or employees being struck by moving equipment. They could be caused by improper maintenance, a lack of safety protocols, or faulty machinery guards. Such accidents could cause herniated discs, nerve damage, and spinal injuries. For example, an employer fails to properly maintain and repair heavy machinery in a factory. The machinery fails during use, with a heavy part striking the employee’s back, fracturing several vertebrae.
Work Vehicle Caused Back Injuries
Work vehicles, including forklifts, cranes, and pallet trucks, can all cause back injuries if not maintained or operated correctly. Back injuries could be caused by overloaded vehicles, poor maintenance, or generally unsafe environments.
- A forklift accident could happen where it is overloaded, tips over, and injures the driver’s upper back and neck.
- An employer overloads a crane, causing it to collapse and the operator to fracture their back.
- A pallet truck has not been maintained, with the wheels and mechanism becoming worn. The defects cause the brakes to fail, resulting in an injury to the driver’s lower back.
Understaffing At Work Leading To A Back Injury
High workloads due to understaffing at work, such as where a worker is asked to carry out a task which several people should do, or asked to carry out duties they are unfamiliar with, can contribute to or cause overexertion injuries. A retail employee is asked to move heavy items in a supermarket warehouse alone. They overexert themselves doing so, suffering ligament and muscle damage.
Back Injuries Sustained In An Office
Back injuries sustained in an office could be caused by poor ergonomics, improper handling of items, or environmental hazards, such as trailing wires or improperly placed boxes. An accident may be caused by an office manager failing to secure trailing wires in an office. A worker trips on them whilst carrying a box, they twist and fall, injuring their back.
Inadequate PPE Leading To An Injured Back
Employers may need to provide employees with safety harnesses to prevent falls leading to back injuries. The failure to provide such protective equipment in line with regulations could lead to accidents and injuries.
For example, an employee is required to climb a scaffold but is not provided with a harness. The inadequate personal protective equipment causes them to suffer a serious spinal cord injury, amongst other injuries, when they fall.
One of our solicitors could help you to make a successful back injury at work claim.
What Types Of Back Injuries Could Be Sustained At Work?
Types of back injuries which could be sustained at work include both acute and short term conditions as well as long-term, chronic conditions. They may vary from sprains and strains through to broken bones and nerve damage.
Sprains And Strains
Sprains and strains include injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments. They can result in pain, swelling, and can restrict movement.
Herniated Discs
Ruptured or herniated discs happen when the centre of a spinal disc protrudes through a tear, pressing on nerves close by. They can leave people with sharp pain, loss of sensation, weakness and tingling in the arms, legs, and back.
Trapped Nerves
Trapped nerves in the back could be caused by herniated discs or bone spurs. They can result in burning, sharp pain which radiates across the back. Trapped nerves can lead to muscle weakness and loss of sensation/ numbness.
Fractures And Breaks
Broken or fractured vertebrae may be caused by high-impact trauma (such as falling from a height). They could result in severe pain, loss of mobility, and even loss of height if vertebrae are compressed/ crushed.
Facet Joint Injuries
Facet joint injuries involve damage to or degeneration/ inflammation of the joints between the vertebrae. They could be caused by falls or bending and twisting (such as during manual handling). Such injuries could restrict movement and leave the person with pain in the neck and back, as well as experiencing muscle spasms.
Please talk to our team about when you could make a back injury at work claim.
What Industries Are Most At Risk Of Workplace Back Injuries?
Industries at a greater risk of workplace back injuries include building and construction, transportation and storage, and health & social care. Industries, workplaces, and occupations potentially at risk include,
- Building and construction.
- Transportation and storage.
- Health & social care.
- Warehousing and retail.
- Farming, forestry, and agriculture.
- Process, plant, and machinery operatives.
- Administration and service occupations.
You could make a back injury at work claim if your injury occurred in these or any other industries, workplaces, or occupations. Please get in touch to see how our back injury solicitors could help you.
The Impacts Of Sustaining A Back Injury At Work
Sustaining a back injury at work could result in acute, short, medium, and long-term or chronic conditions and impacts on victims. These could range from immediate physical pain through to more severe injuries.
- Minor injuries could leave you with nuisance levels of pain or other symptoms.
- They could exacerbate a pre-existing back injury, accelerating its deterioration.
- Reduced mobility, such as where you are left with partial paralysis or otherwise restricted movement.
- Debilitating pain which prevents you from working or participating in everyday activities.
- The requirement for long-term medical treatment, resulting in medical expenses.
- Reduced ability to work or the inability to work.
Sustaining a back injury at work could put you at risk of suffering further injuries in the future. Please get in contact to learn more about back injury at work claims.
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We pride ourselves on providing the best service possible for our clients.
How Much Workplace Back Injury Compensation Can I Claim?
How much compensation you could claim for a back injury at work will depend on how you were injured and how the injury affects you. Pain and suffering in personal injury claims (general damages) may be valued using the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). These may be used by solicitors, lawyers, and other legal professionals and provide guidelines on what could be awarded for different types of injury.
You can find relevant examples from the JCG in our table. Note, the first figure is our illustration of a settlement which includes special damages. It does not come from the JCG. Furthermore, the table itself is only intended as a guide and does not represent the specifics of your case.
| Injury | Notes | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple back injuries + special damages (such as lost income, home adaptations, and travel costs). | Multiple, severe back injuries. | Up to £1,000,000+ with special damages. |
| Paralysis, tetraplegia. | Cases can include those with brain damage. Factors such as age, life expectancy, and residual movement can impact compensation. | £396,140 to £493,000 |
| Paralysis, paraplegia. | Compensation accounts for factors such as pain, independence, age, and sexual function. | £267,340 to £346,890. |
| Paralysis, shorter durations. | Where the claimant passes away for an unrelated reason in a short period of time. | £60,210 |
| Severe back injuries (i). | These are the most severe cases, such as a nerve root or spinal injury which leads to severe pain and incomplete paralysis. | £111,150 to £196,450. |
| Severe back injuries (ii). | Injuries including nerve root damage, loss of sensation and impaired sexual/ bladder/ bowel function. | £90,510 to £107,910. |
| Severe back injuries (iii). | Fractures, disc lesions, or other injuries resulting in a chronic condition. | £47,320 to £85,100. |
| Moderate back injuries (i) | Could include various injuries such as compression or crush fractures and there is further risk, such as osteoarthritis. | £33,880 to £47,320. |
| Moderate back injuries (ii). | Includes many common back injuries affecting muscles or ligaments. | £15,260 to £33,880. |
| Minor back injuries (i). | Full recovery, or to nuisance level in 2 – 5 years, without surgery. | £9,630 to £15,260. |
Can I Claim For Financial Losses After A Back Injury At Work?
Yes, you can claim for financial losses, such as lost earnings or medical expenses, after a back injury at work. Key examples of financial losses you could claim for include,
- Lost income and earnings – including past and future lost wages, entitlement to overtime, pension contributions and other income.
- Medical bills – including private medical care, prescriptions, and medical devices/ aids.
- Care costs – domestic care provided by a loved one, or professional service.
- Home adaptation costs – such as adapting your home (or a vehicle) to accommodate a disability or a specialised mattress.
- Cleaner costs – if your back injury made it difficult to move around or bend.
- Travel costs – getting to and from medical (or other) appointments.
You must provide documents such as invoices, bank statements, or receipts to be compensated or these losses. Please get in touch with our team for a full appraisal of your back injury at work claim.
Claim For A Workplace Back Injury With JF Law
JF Law are specialists in helping people to claim compensation for workplace back injuries, often doing so on a No Win No Fee basis.
Why Choose Our Expert Solicitors To Claim Back Injury At Work Compensation
Choosing our expert solicitors to claim back injury at work compensation enables you to navigate the legal process, secure the best possible compensation settlement, and access specialist support services. Some of the ways one of our expert solicitors could help you include,
- Helping you to understand and successfully navigate the back injury at work claims process.
- Connecting you with an independent medical expert who could assess your back injury.
- Accurately assessing the value in line with JCG guidelines.
- Helping you access interim payments to help meet immediate medical costs.
- Connecting you to support services.
Can A Back Injury At Work Claim Be Made On A No Win No Fee Basis
Workplace back injury compensation claims can be made on a No Win No Fee basis. This means that you could do so without paying any upfront solicitors’ fees. These fees also don’t apply as the claim is ongoing or if it is unsuccessful. However, you will pay a success fee if you win.
Key points about No Win No Fee claims include,
- Claims may be made using a Conditional Fee Agreement.
- There are no solicitors fees to pay if your claim fails.
- A legally capped percentage, called a ‘success fee’, is deducted from your compensation if you win.
Contact JF Law’s Solicitors To Begin
Contact JF Law’s solicitors to begin your back injury at work claim.
- Phone 0151 375 9916.
- Click to contact us.
More Information
More information on related accident and injury claims.
- Learn about your rights if you had an injury at work
- See how long after an accident at work you could claim.
- Check how to claim for a roofer accident at work.
References.
- An overview from the government about claiming Statutory Sick Pay.
- You could act as a litigation friend to claim on behalf of a child or vulnerable adult.
- View NHS first aid resources.
Get in touch with JF Law to begin your back injury at work claim.
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