Industrial Disease Claims > Tinnitus or loss of hearing claims

Tinnitus or loss of hearing claim

If you have worked in a noisy environment in the past or still do, and feel that your hearing may have been impaired as a result of excessive noise or failure on your employer’s behalf to provide protective equipment, then you may be eligible to claim compensation for your loss of hearing.

If you are unsure if your hearing has been impaired and to what degree then ask yourself if you have/had to raise your voice to carryout a normal conversation; maybe you are turning the volume up on your television or radio – or maybe you are experiencing a ringing sound in your ears. If you are experiencing any of these, then it is likely that you are suffering as a result of exposure to excessive noise.

The core regulations governing noise exposure are The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 and The Noise at Work Regulations 1989, and the Factories Acts. On the 6 April 2006 the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force and the lower exposure action level was reduced to 80dB(A) (previously 85dB(A) under the Noise at Work Regulations) and the upper exposure action level dropped to 85dB(A) (previously 90dB(A) under the Noise at Work Regulations).

Your employer should provide hearing protection upon request and provide training and information on how to use this correctly. An employer must provide hearing protection, enforce its use when required and supply sufficient training and information upon its use. These laws apply for differing levels of noise.

Millions of workers are currently employed in positions that require the worker to be exposed to extremely loud noise, with the potential to cause loss or impairment of hearing. Many of these workers are employed in or associated with the construction, housing, textile or mining industries but there are many other industries which expose or have exposed their employees to excessive levels of noise.

Tinnitus describes the ringing, whistling, buzzing and humming noises people can experience in the ears or in the head. Many people have experienced a whistling or buzzing in their ears when being exposed to excessive levels of noise for a short period of time such as attending a music concert or nightclub. The precise cause of tinnitus is still not fully understood but is usually associated with some hearing deficits and has also been linked with exposure to excessive levels of noise.

If you think you may be experiencing tinnitus or hearing loss or impairment, get in touch with our team today to speak to an expert in claiming compensation for injuries caused as a result of negligence in the workplace.