Work related hearing loss covers many different hearing disorders such as tinnitus, acoustic shock or sonic shock and even deafness. If you are or have previously been exposed to prolonged periods of loud noise in the workplace and now suffer with hearing loss or hearing problems, you should Contact Us now to see whether you have a claim.
Most of us do not notice for some time a loss in our hearing health. More often than not our families notice it first. Usually the hearing loss develops over a long time especially where there is prolonged exposure to noise.
Common hearing problem indicatorsinclude:
- Often being accused of not listening
- Often saying pardon and asking people to repeat what they have said
- Difficulty following conversation in a group of people especially where there is background noise
- Having the television or radio on louder than is comfortable for other members of the family
- Finding loud sounds uncomfortable
- Difficulty hearing the telephone ring
- Noises in your ears such as a ringing or buzzing
Depending on when you worked in excessive levels of 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 Act.
Employers have a responsibility to protect all aspects of their employee’s health and safety and that includes their hearing. In recent years there has been a notable increase in the number of employees suffering from hearing problems such as acoustic shock or tinnitus.
Noise-induced hearing loss is a problem that threatens over a million people in the UK. Around 170,000 people are believed to have already developed hearing loss as a result of their work but there may be many more that do not realise their hearing has been damaged or have yet to be diagnosed.
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