Industrial Deafness

Industrial Deafness

Duncan Lewis Industrial Claims Solicitors – No win no fee Industrial Deafness Claims

Industrial deafness can occur over time when workers are exposed to noise in the workplace – or use equipment such as drills or heavy machinery which cause hearing loss or hearing impairments.

Intensity of noise is measured in decibels (dB) and frequency of noise is measured in Hertz (Hz).

• Human speech is around 300Hz minimum – and the human ear should not be continuously exposed to more than 85dB.
• Being exposed to more than 90dB over an eight-hour day include – the sound of tools used in a workshop – may cause around one in ten works to suffer some hearing impairment.
• However, if the noise level increases above 100dB (the level of a pneumatic drill), workers exposed to the noise for more than two hours without ear protection are likely to suffer hearing damage.
• At 115dB, workers should be exposed to no more than 15 minutes a day without ear protection – 115dB is the average sound level for a rock concert.

 

Jobs in which workers may be at risk from industrial deafness include:

 

• Airport workers
• Armed Forces
• Bar, club and pub workers
• Building and construction workers
• Factory workers
• Music or events contractors
• Road and railway workers
• Sound engineers
• Switchboard operators
• Transport workers (eg HGV drivers and motorcycle couriers).

Employers have a legal duty to ensure their employees or contractors are protected from exposure to loud noise at work – including carrying out risk assessments and providing employees with safety equipment such as ear protectors to safeguard their hearing.

Employers also have a duty to make sure workers who are exposed to noise in the workplace are given any health checks needed, including hearing tests.

Hearing impairment may begin with tinnitus – symptoms include hearing a gushing or ringing noise in the ear. Tinnitus itself is not classed as industrial deafness, but may be part of the symptoms of damage to hearing.

Exposure to electromagnetic activity may also cause hearing impairments like tinnitus – for example, if an employee wears headphones for long periods of time, as in the case of sound engineers or switchboard workers. Workers who use headphones may also be a risk of acoustic shock if a loud noise is suddenly played through headphones. Allowing employees regular breaks between episodes of noise at work or wearing headphones is also important.

Employees who suffer hearing loss, hearing impairment or deafness may be unable to continue working and can suffer a reduced quality of life, including social isolation.

Duncan Lewis industrial claims solicitors can advise workers who have suffered deafness, hearing loss or hearing impairment as a result of employer negligence on how to make no win no fee industrial deafness claims for compensation.

Making a Claim for Industrial Deafness

Workers who have been diagnosed with industrial deafness and work-related hearing loss have three years from the date of diagnosis in which to make a no win no fee compensation claim, if an employer has:

• failed to protect a worker from developing hearing impairment or industrial deafness
• failed to advise a worker of the risks of industrial deafness
• failed to monitor sound levels in the workplace
• failed to provide safety equipment to protect a worker’s hearing
• failed to offer hearing (audiology) tests to a worker.

Under The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2006, employers have a legal duty to safeguard the hearing of employees.

If hearing has deteriorated over time with new symptoms developing, Duncan Lewis can advise on making a claim outside the three-year limitation period for industrial disease claims.

Duncan Lewis Industrial Claims Solicitors – No win no fee Industrial Deafness Compensation Claims

Duncan Lewis industrial claims solicitors are leading firm of no win no fee lawyers and can advise victims of industrial diseases on how to make industrial deafness compensation claims.

Duncan Lewis industrial claims solicitors employ medical experts in industrial diseases if it is necessary to prove a link between a claimant’s employment and later being diagnosed with a hearing impairment, including hearing loss or deafness, with or without tinnitus.

Because of the limitation period for making claims for work-related deafness, Duncan Lewis industrial claims solicitors advise claimants to get in touch as soon as possible after diagnosis to discuss making an industrial deafness compensation claim.

Duncan Lewis industrial claims solicitors can also advise on issues such as disability benefits for those with industrial deafness, as well as information about agencies offering support to those with hearing loss or deafness.

For expert legal advice on making no win no fee Industrial Deafness Claims call Duncan Lewis Industrial Claims Solicitors on 020 7923 4020.