The Rise in the Number of Deafness Claims

For most of his early life, my father worked in some kind of factory or other. First it was in the textile industry, in the dyeing section of a mill, and then later he worked in an engineering firm as a setter for the machinery, for many years. He would often tell us about his work and anything funny which had happened that day, and we all looked forward to seeing him come home at the end of the day. Last month he ran into an old work colleague and was surprised to find that his old friend had lost nearly all of his ability to hear and that he had placed a deafness claim against their former employer, using a solicitor’s firm which specialised in industrial deafness claims.

Having worked in the same place but in different departments, my father knew that his friend was telling the truth about the way that his old job had led to his recent problems and wished him the best of luck with his case. He was told that the firm was working on a “no win, no fee” basis and that there were no upfront or hidden costs, and that the clients got to keep 100% of the compensation award if the case was successful. The money would be useful to help ease the adaptations which my father’s friend now needed to make in his lifestyle.

There are a number of deafness claims which fall into the following areas:

Industrial Deafness

Tinnitus

Ear Damage

NIHL- Noise Induced Hearing Loss

The problems are caused by exposure to excessive noise levels which are above the accepted level for the workplace which is 90 decibels. When you consider that the average noise level for city traffic is 85decibels, you will get an understanding of just how loud 90 decibels actually is. Then think of the way that many workplaces have areas which are a lot noisier than 90 decibels and you will realise why there are so many people who have put in a deafness claim recently.

Anyone who works in a noisy place has to be protected adequately and needs to be aware of the acceptable noise levels and the correct protection available in order to help protect their hearing, because a lot of hearing damage is permanent and irreversible.

If you feel that you have suffered hearing loss or other auditory problems due to the conditions at your place of work, you should contact a specialist and seek guidance about the best way to pursue deafness claims or similar procedures. There aresome people who suffer from hearing loss due to their lifestyle, such as regularly attending loud nightclubs, raves and rock concerts and that is their choice. However if you are suffering through no fault of your own then you need to know your rights and the fact that you can claim compensation from a previous employer or even from the government, depending on the nature on the case.