£8,000 in compensation for two back injuries

A man who was injured in the workplace twice in a fortnight has received £8,000 in compensation. He had received no manual handling training in his job as a trainee furnace man. His job involved carrying 40 heavy bags of graphite per shift, seven days a week. The bags were in sacks and did not have any handles. He wasn’t given any lifting aids nor help from colleagues. The bags needed to be carried several metres and then lifted up at shoulder height to be offloaded. As he lifted up a bag of graphite he suffered a strain to his lower back. When he returned to work a few days later he was put back into the same job where he again suffered a strain injury to his upper back. His injuries meant he was forced to take three months off work. The employer admitted liability and settled both claims out of court. The member received £3,000 for the first injury and £5,000 for the second injury.