Industrial Deafness
Noise induced hearing loss occurs when loud noises, sometimes sudden or sometimes periodical or continuous over a long time, lead to problems with hearing. Industrial deafness is a category of noise induced hearing loss which occurs as a result of working in an environment with very loud machinery or other noise.
Protecting employees from industrial deafness
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations (2005) state that there are certain limits to the levels of harmful noise an employee should be exposed to over a period of time. If your employer hasn’t adhered to these guidelines they may have put you at risk of industrial deafness. To give you an idea of typical noise levels, a quiet office would be around 40-50 dB, while a drill might make about 100-110 dB of noise. Long term exposure to sounds of over 80dB can damage your ears. For more information on what action to take at specific levels of noise exposure, see the HSE’s leaflet on Guidance for employers on the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
Preventing industrial deafness
Because of the danger of noise induced hearing loss, ear protection such as earplugs or earmuffs are often necessary in working environments where high intensity noise is either a continuous or periodical issue. These simple health and safety measures may prevent industrial deafness to employees in noisy working environments.
Do I have industrial deafness?
If you are suffering from industrial deafness, or noise induced hearing loss, you may be experiencing symptoms such as tinnitus, temporary or permanent hearing loss, or muffled hearing, or trouble hearing high pitched noises. Industrial deafness and noise induced hearing loss can affect any age group, so if you are suffering from any of these symptoms then you should gain expert medical advice as soon as you can.
Noise induced hearing loss can also include a perforated eardrum or other physical damage to the ear, this is known as acoustic trauma and occurs straight after a sudden and intense amount of extremely loud noise, for example an explosion. Acoustic trauma is an irreversible injury, as is permanent industrial deafness.
What to do if you have noise induced hearing loss
Whatever kind of noise induced hearing loss you have sustained, if the loss of hearing was caused by the negligence of someone else, you may be able to claim compensation. For example, if the hearing loss was caused at work, and your employer failed to issue you with earplugs or earmuffs, or failed to educate you about the dangers of loud noise, you may be eligible to claim for industrial deafness compensation.
Call us today or read on to find out more about the causes of noise induced hearing loss, how to prevent industrial deafness and how to go about making a claim if you have sustained an injury yourself.
