Injured back at work? Here’s what to do

Injured back at work? You’re not alone. Around 11 million days of sick leave related to back injuries are reported in the UK each year.

It’s not just those who work in professions where lifting heavy items is common either. Along with construction site workers and those in warehouses or factories, office workers who remain in one place too long also regularly suffer from back conditions.

If you have suffered a back injury at work, here is everything you need to know about what you should do and whether you might be able to make a claim to get some fair recompense from your employer if they were at fault for it:

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What Should You Do If You Hurt Your Back At Work?

Immediately following an incident in the workplace where you have injured your back, you should:

1. Address your medical needs first – if you need to go to A&E, you should go. If your incident happened over a longer time frame, you might visit your GP.
2. Record your incident in the accident book – every employer is required to keep an accident log. You will frequently need to request a responsible person to record your incident in it. Make this request in writing.
3. Do this even if the incident was minor – it can feel uncomfortable reporting a minor back symptom in an official log. But if things get worse later down the line, you will be grateful that you have a written record of what happened.
4. Collect evidence – if your incident was witnessed by anyone, it is worth asking them to record what they saw (make sure you take their contact details if you don’t have them).
5. Get expert advice about a personal injury claim – finally, if you think your employer was even partially responsible for your injury at work, it is worth investigating the possibility of making a claim. This can be done for free and without commitment.

The most important takeaway here is that – in addition to getting the medical help you need – you should start building evidence about the incident just in case you wish to make a claim later.

Can You Claim For A Back Injury At Work?

In the UK, your employer owes you what is called a “duty of care”. This means they must take reasonable measures to ensure your workplace is as safe an environment as possible.

If you can show that your employer has failed in this duty of care – and that this directly contributed to your back injury in some way – then they may be negligent.

It is important to note that a “direct” contribution actually encompasses quite a wide variety of things. For instance, your employer may not have:

• Provided you with sufficient safety training
• Properly trained a co-worker who contributed to your accident
• Supplied enough safety equipment of the correct type
• Maintained the workspace or kept it free from spillages
• Carried out a proper risk assessment of the activity you were engaged in

How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Back Injury At Work?

There isn’t a fixed amount set in law for back injury compensation. If you successfully prove your employer was negligent, you could receive compensation ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of pounds or even more.

However, it very much depends on the severity of your injury, how long your treatment and recovery will take, and precisely what degree of responsibility your employer bears for the incident.

The exact amount of compensation you can claim for your back injury will be unique to your case and often determined by the courts based on precedent.

The best approach is always to contact a specialist. At Grieves Solicitors, for instance, our combined 76 years of dealing with personal injury claims means we can usually offer detailed advice.

Can back injury at work claims be made with a pre-existing condition?

This is certainly possible – especially if your employer was aware that you had a pre-existing condition and failed to make reasonable adjustments or risk assessments.

How To Prove You Suffered An Injured Back At Work

In most cases, you will need to prove that the incident happened and that your employer bears at least some of the responsibility for it.

The easiest way to do that is with expert help. Grieves Solicitors has already won millions of pounds of compensation for deserving clients.

We work on a no-win, no-fee basis, so there’s no financial risk to you.

Reach out to us today on 0800 0747 644 or fill out our Free Online Enquiry form explaining how you suffered an injured back at work. We’ll get right back to you with next steps.

Here at Grieves Solicitors, Personal Injury Specialists, we offer a no win, no fee solution to funding your claim (a conditional fee agreement) which means that you do not have to worry about legal costs and expenses.  You can read about our no win, no fee agreement here.