Heavy Lifting Compensation Claims in Scotland

Most couples who are separating manage to resolve matters without going to Court, whether this be via negotiation,a

Three years, under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973. The time limit runs from the date of injury, or from the date you first realised the injury was connected to your work, which matters for gradual strain injuries with no single event to date the claim from.

Different rules apply for anyone under 18 and for someone who lacks the mental capacity to bring their own claim. If you are enquiring for a relative with limited mental capacity, we can talk you through how a claim is made on their behalf.

mediation, the collaborative process or arbitration. There are certain cases where either court action is required straight away or once all other avenues have been exhausted. It is important to consider the various options available to you and your family and consider which is the best way forward for you. Your solicitor can assist with this process.

No. Dismissing you, or treating you badly, because you made a legitimate personal injury claim is unlawful, and it would expose your employer to a second claim on top of the first. Employers must carry liability insurance for exactly this situation, so their insurer handles and pays the claim while the business itself usually pays nothing.

Yes. Insurance follows the business, so you can still claim against the policy in force at the time even if the company has been dissolved or taken over. Tracing the correct insurer is routine work for us.

A late or missing accident book entry weakens the paper trail but does not end a claim. Medical records, colleagues and the pattern of the work can establish what happened and when. If you are still with the same employer, ask for an entry to be made now.

Straightforward claims where liability is admitted often settle within nine to twelve months. Disputed liability, permanent disability, or an injury that has not yet stabilised will take longer, because a claim cannot be valued until the medical picture is clear. We will give you a realistic timescale once we have seen the evidence.

Almost certainly not. Most manual handling injury claims settle by negotiation without reaching a courtroom. We raise proceedings when an insurer will not deal fairly, and even then most cases settle before any hearing.

Being partly responsible reduces your compensation. It does not remove your claim. Under contributory negligence, a claim worth £20,000 with 25% contribution settles at £15,000, so this is not the reason to rule yourself out.

The stronger the paper trail, the more straightforward the claim. Useful evidence includes:

• An entry in the workplace accident book

• Your GP and hospital medical records, showing when symptoms began and how they developed

• Names and contact details for colleagues who saw the incident or worked under the same conditions

• Photographs of the load, the equipment, or the space you were working in

• Training records, risk assessments, maintenance and inspection logs, and any previous complaints about the task

• Payslips, receipts and invoices covering lost earnings and medical expenses

If you have none of it, that is fine. Most of the documentary evidence sits with your employer, and we can require them to produce it.