Deafness and Loss of Hearing

See Also : Work Accidents | Chemical Poisoning | Occupational Asthma
Dermatitis | Deafness | Vibration White Finger | Industrial Accidents

Workplace noise is one of the most common and potentially-damaging hazards for workers in industry.

Exposure to loud noise exposure can lead to disability but its affects are often underestimated because, rather than a sudden, total hearing loss, it usually takes the form of a gradual but significant impairment which can affect work and home relationships and damage family wellbeing.

Gradual hearing impairment usually affects mainly the higher frequencies. The sufferer hears as loud as before but there is a progressive loss of clarity.

A significant symptom of this is difficulty in communicating when there is background noise such as at social gatherings. Other signs are when family and friends repeatedly tell suffers that they are not listening or that they have the television turned up too high.

Most claims for work-related deafness have traditionally come from workers exposed to noise in heavy industry. These cases are still common but today more and more claims are being brought by leisure industry staff who have been exposed to loud noise in pubs and clubs

When evaluating such cases, precise hearing loss is measured by an audiogram. This is undertaken by a consultant ENT surgeon who will report on the level of deafness and whether it is caused by exposure to occupational noise or from some other naturally-occurring condition.

In formulating any claim we will obtain a full employment history as all employers exposing their staff an unacceptable noise level after 1963 can be held responsible.

If you think you may have a claim, please call 0800 043 8884 for an informal chat to discuss your situation or simply fill in our online form on this page.