The primary responsibility of employers with regard to manual handling work (as laid out in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992), is to conduct regular risk assessments of the working environment and working practices, including the ergonomics of specific physiotherapy tasks. Consultations between management and physiotherapists should also take place on a regular basis to discuss concerns and identify potential dangers in the workplace. Once a risk is identified it must be eliminated, or else the level of danger it poses must be minimised by changes to working practices and/or the working environment. Such measures should then be routinely reviewed to monitor the effects they are having on the overall health and wellbeing of staff.

Typical action that management can take to reduce the level of MSDs among physiotherapists include making changes to work scheduling so that individual therapists see less patients in the course of a shift, and allowing them to take longer or more regular rest breaks. Ergonomic improvements may involve changes in workplace design, such as allowing therapist more space to work in, or by installing height and angle adjustable work surfaces. Mechanical aids may also be provided to assist with manual handling tasks, such as lifting belts and back braces. Enough staff need to be on duty to ensure that individual physiotherapists are not required to lift and move excessive cumulative amounts of weight, and all workers must be properly trained to how to carry out such tasks safely.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 defines manual handling as work involving the 'transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force'. This encompasses the majority of the hands-on work that a physiotherapist will carry out during a normal working day. Employers are responsible for implementing a system of work that minimises the risk of injury among workers. If you are are physiotherapist and have developed an MSD or other injury in the course of your work, contact our specialist lawyers today for free, confidential and reliable legal advice.

Bartletts Solicitors have been protecting and supporting clients for 150 years, and enjoys a reputation nationwide for trusted legal advice. We are specialists in nurse and physiotherapist injury compensation claims, having successfully taken legal action against various hospitals and care homes.

Bartletts Solicitors handle accident at work claims on a no win no fee basis, meaning that you will not have to pay any legal fees until you win your claim and receive your compensation, and will not have to pay anything if your claim is unsuccessful. Since a change in the law in April 2013, all law firms now charge a success fee payable upon conclusion of successful work accident claims, calculated as a percentage of the damages awarded. Contact our specialist team today for free and confidential legal advice.

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