Law & Legal & Attorney Accidents & personal injury Law

Industrial Deafness Claims – Taking Steps to Claiming Compensation

Most people don't believe that they will ever go deaf. As arguably the body's most important sense along with sight – the ability to hear what is going on around us is something we often take for granted. However, many who work in loud environments at work find they begin to lose their hearing – through no fault of their own. This is when industrial deafness claims can be made.

A prime example of such work-related hearing damage was reported recently, when it was revealed that ex-pottery workers from the Midlands city of Stoke-on-Trent may be entitled to make claims - many of whom had been working long hours around loud machinery. Despite this, it was only after 15 former workers secured injury compensation for their hearing problems that the pottery workers began to realise that they could make industrial deafness claims against their employers. They all subsequently received thousands of pounds each in compensation and damages.

Since then, over 100 ex-pottery workers have looked into making compensation claims. This is only a small number in comparison to how many potential claims could be made, as some who weren't even aware that they had hearing damage begin to face the real possibility that their lives and their futures may have been affected by the work they used to carry out.

Industrial Deafness Claims: A Reality for Workers in Many Sectors

It's not only those who work in factories who suffer from hearing damage. Other claims come from those in construction, shipbuilding or even nightclub workers who have been subjected to extremely high levels of noise for extended periods of time.

A simple test to find out whether your hearing has been affected whilst at work can be carried out when you go home. If the sound of talking or other regular activities is muffled or quieter than normal; or if you can hear a high-pitched noise in your ears when the room is quiet, you may have damaged your ear-drum.

The latter is called tinnitus, and is a very real sign that damage has occurred to the hearing. Often it feels like a high pitched squeal in the inner ear or even from the brain. It indicates that part of the ear drum that interprets higher pitched sounds has been damaged, and this often worsens with time. Other tinnitus symptoms include a hissing, buzzing or humming sound, or can sound like waves ‘whooshing'.

It's believed that around one million UK workers are putting their hearing at risk each year by working in an environment that subjects them to loud noises over extended periods of time. This massive figure is a worry and is an indication that health and safety rules are not being adhered to.

Using an Industrial Deafness Claims Solicitor to get Compensation

If you are suffering from deafness as a result of exposure to loud noise in your workplace than acquiring the services of an industrial deafness claims solicitoris one of the best steps you can take to getting the compensation you are entitled to. As experienced professionals in their field, they will have years of experience getting thousands of pounds for injuries to innocent victims industrial deafness.

To find the very best industrial deafness claims solicitor using a compensation claims company is an option many people use, as it saves them the hassle of searching through hundreds of law firms to find the most appropriate solicitor for their case.

When contacting a claims company it helps to have all of the relevant details to hand. Proving that someone else was to blame for your deafness is very important so you will need your employment documents and preferably results of medical examinations; however a solicitor will usually arrange for you.

Although compensation cannot mend damaged hearing, it can make life a bit easier and improve your quality of life.


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