Mulderrigs helped Mrs Peters from Cornwall with her manual handling claim.

She had started a job at a brand new supermarket that was getting ready to open to the public for the first time.

She wasn’t given any training, but was just expected to “muck in” with the preparations.

She was asked to move some stock using a pump truck but she’d never used that kind of equipment before and when she turned it on it shot backwards, crushing her foot and ankle.

It seemed clear to us that her employers were in breach of their duty to take care of employees.

In particular:-

  • The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) impose a duty on employers to provide their workers with proper instruction and training in the use of  equipment, and
  • The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) (MHOR) impose similarly strict duties on employers to take care for the safety of workers when carrying out any lifting activities (the regulations actually apply to “any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force”.)

So we were  very surprised when the insurers for Mrs Peters’ employer refused to accept responsibility for the accident.

We brought county court proceedings on her behalf and once all the evidence was ready the insurers agreed to negotiate sensibly with us.

We then helped Mrs Peter reach a settlement of £35,000 in compensation for her injuries and loss of earnings.