Occupational Deafness and Tinnitus Claims

What is industrial deafness?
Hearing-related problems
What causes hearing problems?
Advice on making a claim for Work related deafness or Tinnitus
What compensation can I expect to receive for work related deafness?

What is industrial deafness?
Industrial deafness, occupational deafness and noise induced hearing loss are phrases which can be used to denote a deterioration of a person's hearing as a result of his or her working environment. A person does not have to lose his or her hearing completely to be classified as deaf, and in fact there are varying degrees of deafness:

Mild deafness: This can often cause difficulty following speech, particularly in noisy environments
Moderate deafness: People who suffer moderate deafness may not be able to hear without the use of a hearing aid
Severe deafness: Those suffering with severe deafness often rely on lip-reading despite using a hearing aid. Such people may also use sign language as their preferred means of communication
Profound deafness: Is the most serious form of deafness. Sufferers of this type of deafness will usually rely on lip-reading and sign language

Hearing-related problems
In addition to deafness, people who have been exposed to noisy environments in their workplaces may also suffer tinnitus. Tinnitus is a medical term for any noise that people hear in one ear, in both ears or in their head. These noises can take a variety of forms, including: ringing, buzzing, whistling, hissing and such like.

What causes hearing problems? There are a variety of factors which can cause hearing loss, including ear infections, emotional distress, side effects of medication, head injuries and exposure to loud noise. Many suffers of hearing loss in the United Kingdom often discover their hearing problems have been caused by prolonged exposure to noise over time in their working environment; the Health and Safety Executive actually estimated that over 1 million employees in the United Kingdom are exposed to levels of noise which are putting their health at risk.

Workers particularly at risk from suffering hearing problems include those working in:

Construction
Engineering
Factories
Nightclubs
Power mills
Processing
Shipbuilding
Stone cutting and quarrying
Textile industry
Call centres

A person involved with the following machinery and processes over a prolonged period of time may suffer from hearing problems as a result:

Break pad grinder
Brick oven fan noise control
Cold cutting circular saw
Concrete vibrator
Cyclone separators
Elastic yarn covering machine
Hammer mill
High speed blanking press
Hydraulic power pack
Pedestal grinder
Pneumatic exhausts
Power blasting
Press flywheel
Reciprocating compressor
Rubber granulator
Sand burner
Sugar beet processing
Transfer of components using a conveyor and metal chute

Advice on Making a Claim for Work Related Deafness or Tinnitus
If you have previously worked or currently work in a noisy environment and have suffered from a serious decrease in hearing abilities or the onset of tinnitus, you should seek medical and legal advice at the earliest possible opportunity. If you were not provided with adequate protection or believe your deafness has been caused by your occupation, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

Depending on your case, it may be possible to make your claim on a no win no fee basis. There may also be alternative methods available to you to cover the costs of making a compensation claim. Your solicitor will discuss all of the options available to you during your initial consultation.

What Compensation can I Expect to Receive for Work Related Deafness?
Pannone have had many years of experience helping people claim for noise induced hearing loss and industrial tinnitus. We have won many occupational deafness compensation claims for our clients, some of which have reached substantial settlement amounts.

We can act for you under several different funding arrangements, including Conditional Fee Agreements, (No Win, No Fee agreements) if appropriate.

To claim compensation for occupational deafness or work related tinnitus, please call Pannone LLP on 0800 0384 384 to arrange a free consultation with a specialist industrial deafness solicitor or email us. We are available to take your call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.