If you work in a noisy workplace and want to know more about the possibility of claiming compensation for industrial deafness then read on.
Should I be wearing ear protection if I work in a noisy factory?
It’s the responsibility of employers to provide hearing protection to workers. If you have to shout to a colleague who is just 6 feet away so that you can be heard then you are in an environment where the noise level could be at 80 decibels. This is the type of noisy environment that can damage your hearing.
Employers are responsible for regularly undertaking risk assessments of their workplace if they employ 5 or more people. As part of this risk assessment they should be identifying what employees are at risk from. They should then be putting in controls to reduce or prevent risk.
Hearing protection is something that they should be issuing in order to prevent and reduce risk of hearing loss. Employers should keep a record of the actions that they are putting into place to reduce and monitor risks including any employee training, provision of protective clothing and provision of hearing tests.
If I am suffering from industrial hearing loss and I want to make a claim, what do I need to do?
This is when you need to contact your legal advisor or solicitor. They are experienced and trained in the process of making a compensation claim when it comes to industrial hearing loss. They will work with you to get your claim in place and settled fast by the people who are responsible for your industrial hearing loss – your employers.
If you have been suffering from any level of hearing loss you should look into making a claim to your employer. Tinnitus is another form of hearing damage that can affect those who have been exposed to a high level of noise in the workplace. The symptoms of tinnitus include ringing bells or a constant buzz in the ear. It might be that when you are in a noisy place you cannot follow a conversation and cannot make out some of the sounds – such as the ‘s’ sound in a conversation.
Workers who are likely to have been exposed to a noisy workplace include:
- Musicians
- Workers in the construction and road building industries
- People who have worked with aircraft, motorcycles, railways and trucks
- Miners and factory workers