Can I bring a claim for industrial deafness?
If you have been exposed to excessive noise at work it may be possible to bring a claim for noise induced hearing loss.
Do you have any of the following symptoms?
1) Conversation is difficult especially when you are in groups or there is background noise
2) Your family complains about the television being too loud
3) You have trouble using the telephone
4) You have difficulty catching sounds like ‘t’, ‘d’, and ‘s’, so you confuse similar words
5) Tinnitus, which is a ringing or buzzing in your ears, which may be constant, intermittent and affect both ears differently.
>> Read More About Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Do you or have you worked in any of the following industries?
- Mining
- Construction
- Demolition or road repair
- Woodworking
- Plastics processing
- Engineering
- Textile manufacture
- General fabrication
- Forging, pressing or stamping
- Canning or bottling
- Foundries
If you have any of the above symptoms and have worked in a noisy environment, then please contact us and we will assess whether we may be able to bring a claim on your behalf.
>> Read About How To Claim For Hearing Loss
Common questions and answers:
Who can I bring a deafness claim against?
Any current or former noisy employer, providing your whole period of employment did not pre-date 1963. Prior to this date the law did not recognise that a noisy working environment caused hearing loss and so an employer would not have been expected to provide hearing protection.
Can I bring a deafness claim even if I worked in a noisy environment a number of years ago?
Yes.
What if my former employer no longer exists? Can I still bring a deafness claim?
This does not matter. We will do a number of searches to trace the address that we need to write to, for example this may be the address of the administrators. We will make searches at Companies House. We can also carry out searches with the Association of British Insurers, who may be able to provide details of the relevant insurers. Ultimately, we are trying to indentify the correct insurance company.
Who pays my deafness compensation?
The insurance company that provided cover for your employer at the time of your employment, providing we can show that they are liable.
What if there is more than one employer responsible for my deafness?
You will be compensated on a time apportioned basis. So for example, if two employers are found responsible and you worked for them for 10 years each, you would receive 50% of your damages from each.
What happens if you cannot find a Defendant, will I get 100 % of my compensation?
No. You will only be able to claim a proportion from the Defendant that we can locate. Again, it will be on a time apportioned basis.
What if the insurance company no longer exits? Can I still make a deafness claim?
Providing your employer had insurance at the time of your employment and we can identify them there will be an insurer to pay your damages. If the insurer no longer exists then an agent will deal with matter on their behalf.
What if I was provided with hearing protection? Can I still make a deafness claim?
This does not matter, as long as you were not provided with hearing protection for the whole of your period of employment.
Could my deafness be related to age rather than working in a noisy environment?
We will arrange for you to undergo an audiogram. This is a hearing test. The results of the audiogram are depicted in a graph and if this follows a particular pattern then it’s likely that the loss is related to noise exposure rather than age. The ENT (Ear, noise and throat) specialist will also deal with this issue.
If you think that you have a hearing loss due to working in a noisy environment, then please contact us for further advice.
Recent Case Studies:
Compensation For BICC Engineer With Damaged Hearing
Compensation For Man Shooting Without Adequate Ear Protection
Office Clerk Developed Hearing Loss From Noise At Work
Customer Sues Shooting School For Hearing Loss & Tinnitus
