Industrial Deafness

Industrial deafness occurs when loud noises in the workplace, either sudden and unexpected, or over a long time, lead to problems with an employee's hearing. Industrial deafness is a type of 'noise induced hearing loss' associated with working in an industrial environment such as a factory or construction site where loud machinery is being used.

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.  If your employer hasn't adhered to these guidelines they may have put you at risk of suffering from 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 Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance for employers on the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 on their website.

Preventing industrial deafness

The danger of noise induced hearing loss in some industrial workplaces means that earplugs or ear defenders are often needed. Monitoring the levels of noise and providing employees with the appropriate ear protection is a simple, but effective way to prevent industrial deafness.

Do I have industrial deafness?

If you're suffering from industrial deafness or noise induced hearing loss, you may be experiencing symptoms such as tinnitus, 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.

Industrial deafness can also mean 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.

What to do if you have industrial deafness

If your hearing problems were caused by the negligence of someone else, you may be able to claim compensation. For example, if the hearing loss was caused by working with loud machinery over a prolonged period of time, and your employer failed to issue you with ear protection, or failed to give training on the dangers of working with noise, you may be eligible to claim industrial deafness claims.

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 an industrial deafness claim.