What Is The Maximum Weight Limit for Manual Handling At Work?

By Stephen Moreau. Last Updated 7th May 2024. In this guide, we discuss the maximum weight to lift at work, as well as what to consider when it comes to manual handling limits.

Some workplace environments require greater levels of manual handling activities than others. When dealing with manual handling, the weight limit deemed safe to lift is sometimes unknown to people. If you’ve been injured at work due to being asked/made to lift or move something too heavy for you then you could be entitled to compensation. In order to make a valid claim for a manual handling injury at work, you would have to prove through evidence your injury was caused by negligence. This must show that your employer or a colleague acted in a negligent way causing you harm.

A warehouse worker wearing a blue shirt clutches his back in pain

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Everything You Need To Know About Manual Handling Weight Limits
What Is The UK Weight Limit For Manual Handling?
Manual Handling Weight Limit Guidelines
Manual Handling Injury Compensation Examples
How Could You Be Hurt If You Exceed The Maximum Weight Limit For Manual Handling At Work?
What Evidence Can Help Me Prove A Manual Handling Injury Claim?
Manual Handling Injury Claims – Can A No Win No Fee Solicitor Help Me?
Other Information

Everything You Need To Know About Manual Handling Weight Limits

Manual handling doesn’t just include lifting, although it is included. There are other physical actions listed in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. The other physical actions included in manual handling involve:

Putting down
Pushing
Pulling
Carrying
Moving a load via hand or bodily force

Somewhat surprisingly, there’s no legal weight limit for individuals to abide by when engaging in manual handling. There are however advised guidelines. The weight differs between the genders, with men being advised they can handle slightly heavier loads.

The maximum safe weight to lift at work may not have a legally enforceable limit, but personal injury claims can still be made for injuries sustained when lifting an item that is heavier than 25kg alone. How the load is being handled/transported can also lead to different weight limits being advised. Injuries being sustained by lifting heavy loads are more common in some workplaces than others.

What Is The UK Weight Limit For Manual Handling?

There are no legal limits on lifting weights in the UK. However, guidance does exist on safe lifting weights and procedures that can make manual handling safer, such as conducting a manual handling risk assessment.

This guide will discuss the responsibility your employer faces regarding manual handling at work and your safety. Despite there being no official maximum lifting weight at work, your employer could still be found liable for an injury that is caused by asking you to lift beyond the recommended maximum weight. We will then explain how you can prove your employer may be liable for injury and how to begin a compensation claim.

If you have any questions about making a claim or the manual handling limit, then please reach out to an adviser.

Manual Handling Weight Limit Guidelines

In this section, we answer more commonly asked questions and provide essential guidance on the weight limits for both one person and two people.

Manual handling weight limits for one person

When it comes to manual handling for one person, there is guidance on what you can lift and the manner in which it can be done.

This image below, published by the Health and Safety Executive, gives a clear guide:

manual handling weight limits for one person

Image Credit – HSE Guide To Manual Handling

As you can see, the legal manual handling limits vary depending on how the item is carried. Heavy items can be held close to the body, but if they have to be lifted above head height and placed on a shelf, for example, that limit decreases significantly.

It’s much harder to carry heavy things when your arms are extended, with greater strain placed on muscles and tendons. It’s at these ranges that manual handling injuries can occur, such as torn or strained muscles.

What is the 2 person lift weight limit in the UK?

When two people lift a heavy item, they can carry a greater weight between them.

As a rule, they can increase the total sum of both individuals’ lifting limits by around two-thirds (2/3rds).

For example, two women (who can carry a maximum of 16kg each), could lift an extra 10.5kg (approximately), meaning they could carry 26.5kg between them as the legal weight limit.

Manual Handling Injury Compensation Examples

So, how much compensation could you get if you were injured after your employer asked you to operate over the manual handling weight limit?

Since every claim is unique, this can make pinpointing an exact amount hard. This is because your final compensation amount can be affected by:

How much evidence you have.
Whether you have suffered financial losses.
How severe your injuries are.

Usually, the compensation you receive can be split into two heads. The first of these heads, general damages, covers the pain and suffering that is caused by your injuries. This heading also covers loss of amenity, which means loss of enjoyment.

The guideline compensation brackets found in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can be used to calculate this head of claim. You can see some examples of these brackets in the table below, but please keep in mind that these aren’t guaranteed and that the first entry isn’t from the JCG.

JCG Compensation Brackets

Injury	Description	Amount
Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Special Damages	If you've suffered multiple serious injuries due to an accident at work, then you may receive compensation for all of these plus related special damages, such as the cost of home care.	Up to £500,000+
Back - Severe (i)	Damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots that lead to unusually serious consequences that are usually not found in most back injuries.	£111,150 to £196,450
Back - Moderate (i)	A compression or crush fracture to the lumbar vertebrae that causes constant pain and discomfort.	£33,880 to £47,320
Neck - Severe (i)	An injury associated with incomplete paraplegia or resulting in permanent spastic quadriparesis.	In the region of £181,020
Neck - Moderate (i)	Fractures or dislocations that may require spinal fusion and result in severe immediate symptoms.	£30,500 to £46,970
Hand - Amputation of Index and Middle and/or Ring Fingers	The grip will be extremely weak and the hand will be rendered of very little use.	£75,550 to £110,750
Hand - Serious Damage to Both Hands	This type of injury will lead to a permanent cosmetic disability with a significant loss of function.	£68,070 to £103,200
Knee - Severe (ii)	Leg fracture extending into the knee joint that causes permanent and constant pain as well as other issues.	£31,960 to £53,030
Elbow - (a)	A severely disabling elbow injury	£47,810 to £66,920
Hernia -(a)	Even after repair, the person will experience continuing pain with a limitation on physical activities.	£18,180 to £29,490

What Else Could I Claim For After A Manual Handling Injury?

You might also be eligible for special damages. Under this heading, you can claim back any financial losses caused by your injuries. This can cover a range of costs, including the cost of:

Mobility aids.
Lost earnings.
Prosthetics.
Prescription and medical costs.
Travel.
Childcare.
Help with cooking and cleaning.

Providing evidence of your financial losses could help you with claiming special damages. Evidence could include bank statements, invoices and payslips.

To learn more about what you could claim for if you were injured after your employer asked you to lift or move something over the manual handling weight limit, contact our team of advisors today.

How Could You Be Hurt If You Exceed The Maximum Weight Limit For Manual Handling At Work?

If you carry more than the maximum weight for manual handling in the workplace, then this could lead to an injury being sustained. In the list below, we’ve included a few examples of possible injuries. However, every incident is unique, and therefore certain injuries may only occur in certain circumstances.

Broken bones – In order to stay safe, lifting weights needs to be done in a certain way. If no training is given, then this could lead to a loss of balance or a poor manual handling technique. If you were to fall as a result of this, then the impact with the ground or the heavy objects falling on you could cause this kind of injury.
Back injuries – Strain on the back could cause damage on a long- or short-term basis.
Psychological impact – If you carry more than the manual handling limit, then any incidents that happen as a result could cause mental health issues such as PTSD to occur.

To find out if your injury makes your eligible to receive compensation, get in touch with our advisors today.

What Evidence Can Help Me Prove A Manual Handling Injury Claim?

If you intend to claim for injuries that occurred due to a problem while performing a manual handling task at work, then you will need evidence that can support your case.

The evidence you present will need to confirm your injuries and show how they were caused by your employer breaching the duty of care they owed you. While there is no legal weight limit for manual handling, you may be able to present evidence that shows your employer has failed to implement safe precautions for staff that carry out manual handling tasks.

Evidence could include the following:

Medical reports that confirm the injuries you’re claiming for and treatment you’ve received for them.
The contact details of any witnesses who can provide a statement.
Any photographic or video evidence (such as CCTV footage) that shows how your injuries occurred.
A copy of the report covering the incident that caused your injuries in your employer’s work accident book.

A solicitor can assist with gathering evidence that can strengthen your claim if you have one supporting you. You can speak to our advisors about getting help from a solicitor if you contact our team for free, either online or on the phone.

Manual Handling Injury Claims – Can A No Win No Fee Solicitor Help Me?

If you were injured because your employer asked you to lift over the maximum manual handling weight, you may be able to make an accident at work claim. Working with a solicitor on your claim can help to make the process seem less complex, amongst other benefits.

For example, the solicitors on our panel work on a No Win No Fee basis. They do this by offering their clients a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under this kind of contract, you can access the services of a solicitor without paying any upfront fees. Similarly, you won’t need to pay any ongoing fees for your solicitor to continue their work, nor will you pay for their work if your claim does not succeed.

If it does succeed and you receive manual handling injury compensation, then your solicitor will take a success fee. They take this as a small percentage of your compensation, but this percentage is limited by a legislative cap. This means that you keep the majority share of what you receive.

To find out if working with a solicitor from our panel could be right for you, contact our advisors today. They can offer more information on the accident at work claims process, and may be able to connect you with a legal professional. To get started:

Use the live chat feature
Call us on 020 3870 4868
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Other Information

We’ve included some links to additional information regarding accident at work claims.

Thank you for reading our guide on the weight limit for manual handling.

Learn What Is The Manual Handling Weight Limit