What Could You Claim For Work-Related Back Injuries?

Welcome to our guide on how you could claim for work-related back injuries. If you’ve been involved in an accident at work that was caused by your employer’s negligence and injured your back as a result, you could potentially claim compensation. 

Work-related back injury claims guide

Work-related back injury claims guide

To make a personal injury claim, you need to prove that someone breached their duty of care towards you. Our guide explains what duty of care can mean and how much you could be owed in compensation if this is breached. 

Continue reading to figure out how much your work-related back injuries could be awarded in compensation. You can also speak to our skilled team of advisors about your case. They can offer free advice and, if they think your case may succeed, could pass you on to a solicitor from our panel to start a claim today. 

Select A Section

  1. What Are Work-Related Back Injuries?
  2. What Can Cause Work-Related Back Injuries?
  3. How To Manage The Risk Of Back Injuries At Work
  4. Types Of Work-Related Back Injuries You Could Claim For
  5. Calculating Payouts For Work-Related Back Injuries
  6. Talk To Us About Making A No Win No Fee Claim

What Are Work-Related Back Injuries? 

When you’re at work, you have the right to feel safe. Your employer has a duty of care towards you and other employees to take all reasonably practicable steps to keep you safe in the workplace. This could include regular risk assessments, providing the correct training, and routinely maintaining any equipment. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places this duty on employers.

If the employer breaches this duty of care, accidents can occur, ones that could have been avoided. This can result in work-related back injuries. Back injuries could be very serious and even result in a long-term disability that leaves you unable to go to work. You could struggle financially or have related psychological damage

If you could prove that your employer’s negligence caused your work-related back injuries, you could claim compensation. Get in touch today to find out more. 

What Can Cause Work-Related Back Injuries?

No matter what industry you work in, work-related back injuries could occur in many different ways. For example, if you work on a construction site and injure your back through lack of training this could lead to a lumbar spine injury. Or, if you work in an office, a slip or trip accident could cause a fracture in the spine. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s regulator for health and safety at work, some other examples of causes of back injuries could include:

  • Handling bulky or heavy loads
  • Manual handling in awkward places
  • Repetitive tasks
  • Bending, crouching or stooping
  • Reaching, twisting and stretching
  • Staying in one position for a long time
  • Being physically overtired but continuing working
  • Driving long distances or over rough ground

It is important to note that you could only make a personal injury claim for work-related back injuries if the accident that caused them was because your employer or another employee acted negligently. However, it is possible to claim compensation if you were partially at fault. This is called a split liability claim, and it affects the amount of compensation you receive according to how much responsibility is placed on both sides. 

How Many Work-Related Back Injuries Are Reported Each Year In The UK?

The HSE also collects statistical data on accidents in the workplace. From these statistics, we can see that in 2020/21, 470,000 workers reported suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders (new or long-standing). Of these, 182,000, 39%, were reported to be back injuries

This data also showed that the two industries with higher than average rates of musculoskeletal disorders were construction and human health and social work. If you work in these industries, you could potentially be more at risk of suffering work-related back injuries. 

How To Manage The Risk Of Back Injuries At Work

As the regulator for health and safety in British workplaces, the HSE also provides guidance for employers about keeping employees safe. According to the HSE, this is how employers can manage and reduce the risk of work-related back injuries:

  • Identify activities that could result in back pain and see if they can be avoided or changed
  • Ask employees for their input as they have first-hand knowledge of the work
  • Consider how jobs can be made physically easier
  • Make sure aids, such as for lifting, are available, maintained, and used
  • Encourage employees to report issues early so employers can provide the right help

For example, if you’re an employer in a warehouse with a tall or complicated shelving system, providing aids, such as a forklift and training, will help your employees avoid work-related back injuries

Protecting Employees And Manual Handling Injury Prevention

Employers could also take specific steps to protect you from manual handling injuries. According to the HSE, employers could avoid hazardous manual handling operations by possibly redesigning the task to avoid moving the items at all. They could also potentially automate or mechanise the process.

If it’s not possible to avoid the task, employers could reduce the risk by:

  • Making the load smaller or lighter
  • Break up large tasks into smaller loads
  • Modify the workplace to reduce twisting movements, the need to lift things from floor level and carrying distances
  • Change the work routine to avoid tight deadlines and excessive work rates
  • Improve the environment, e.g. better lighting, flooring and more space
  • Make sure the correct training is provided

Types Of Work-Related Back Injuries You Could Claim For

There is a variety of work-related back injuries that you could potentially claim for, and they range in severity. This could include, but is not limited to:

However, this list is not exhaustive. If you have a work-related back injury of another kind, you could potentially still claim compensation. To find out more, get in touch with our advisors today for more information about what could make a valid work-related back injury claim. 

Calculating Payouts For Work-Related Back Injuries

This section includes potential compensation amounts for back injuries. These figures are calculated from past case studies, so they are not guaranteed and are taken from the Judicial College guidelines (JCG). Legal professionals use the JCG to help value personal injuries in claims. 

To accurately assess how much compensation you could be awarded, you will be invited to an independent medical appointment as part of the claims process. A professional will assess the severity of your injuries and how they may continue to affect you in the future. This will be used as key evidence for evaluating the general damages element of your claim. General damages aim to cover the suffering caused by your injuries. 

Edit
Injury Severity Amount Notes
Back Severe (i) £85,470 to £151,070 This bracket may cover cases of severe damage to the nerve roots and spinal cord that lead to serious consequences. There will be severe pain and some form of lasting disability such as incomplete paralysis and impaired bowel, bladder and sexual function.
Back Severe (ii) £69,600 to £82,980 This bracket may cover cases of nerve root damage with an associated loss of sensation and impaired mobility and function.
Back Severe (iii) £36,390 to £65,440 This bracket may cover cases of disc fractures and lesions and soft tissue injuries leading to chronic conditions where disabilities remain despite extensive treatment. There may also be a risk of future arthritis.
Back Moderate (i) £26,050 to £36,390 This bracket may cover cases where the injury has led to a disability less severe than above. Some examples could be a compression injury and prolapsed discs that require surgery.
Back Moderate (ii) £11,730 to £26,050 This bracket may cover cases of disturbed ligaments and muscles that cause backache, soft tissue injuries and a possible exacerbation of a pre-existing condition.
Back Minor (i) £7,410 to £11,730 This bracket may cover cases of less serious strains, sprains, disc prolapses, fractures and soft tissue injuries where a full recovery takes place without surgery within 2-5 years.
Back Minor (ii) £2,300 to £7,410 This bracket may cover similar injuries to the above but with a full recovery between 3 months and 2 years.
Back Minor (iii) Up to £2,300 This bracket may cover similar injuries to the above but where a full recovery is made within 3 months.

You may also claim special damages as part of your compensation. The intention of special damages is to compensate you for specific financial losses associated with your injuries. You could also claim for possible financial loss of the future. This could include:

  • Lost wages
  • Medical expenses or procedures not covered by the NHS
  • The price of mobility supports, if they are required
  • Adjustments to the home, if it is required
  • Travel costs

To claim special damages, you need to provide evidence that your losses were a direct result of your injury. You could show receipts for mobility supports or bank statements to show a loss of earnings.

Talk To Us About Making A No Win No Fee Claim

Are you suffering from work-related back injuries? You may want to claim compensation but are concerned about the financial costs of hiring a solicitor to help you. 

You should know that the solicitors on our panel offer their services exclusively on a No Win No Fee basis. This means that you do not need to pay your solicitor for their work if your claim does not succeed. You also don’t need to worry about any upfront or ongoing payments. 

However, you may be wondering what happens if your claim is successful. Your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation amount once it is fully paid. Your lawyer will inform you of their percentage fees before taking on your case. Also, this fee is legally capped, so you will get to keep the majority of the compensation you are awarded. 

If this sounds like it could be beneficial to you, why not get in touch today? Our advisors can offer you free legal advice about your case. They could also pass you on to a solicitor from our panel to help you start a personal injury claim. 

Related Back Injury Resources

Thank you for reading our guide on work-related back injuries and how you could claim compensation for them. We hope it answered any questions you may have had. For more related resources, please see below. 

Compensation for a Knee Accident at Work – Wondering how to claim if you’ve injured your knee at work? Our guide could help you. 

How Is Compensation Calculated for Multiple Injury Claims? – Can you claim for multiple injuries? This article will explain how multiple injury claims work. 

Personal Injury Fees and Payments – Our guide on how fees work for personal injury claims. 

Statutory Sick Pay – A government guide to claiming SSP if you need to take time away from work. 

Employment and Support Allowance – You can apply for this if a disability affects how much you can work. 

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents – A registered charity that aims to reduce the number of accidents with advice and guidance. 

Thank you for reading our guide on work-related back injuries claims.