Industrial Deafness
Industrial deafness is weakening of hearing power in a person as a
result of prolonged noisy working environment. In
Industries that pose the most risk of occupational deafness to workers are shipbuilding, coal mining, metal manufacturing, engineering factory environments, club, pub, airports, motor racing where noisy machinery is used. Workers in the music and entertainment industry may could be affected by noise factors also.
Cause
Deafness can be caused by many different factors. Apart from industrial causes, the main reason for deafness could be interruption to part of the hearing system, wax blocks, age related issues, side effect of medication.
Too much exposure to noise is one of the most important factors when it comes to deafness. Often people do no realise the damage that is being done to their hearing until it’s too late. Using heavy machineries such as tractors, machines used in forestry and other loud working factors such as firing arms contributes to industrial deafness. Almost 50% the problem of deafness is cause by noise.
Symptom
The symptoms of hearing impairment vary depending on the cause. Some people experience a sudden, profound loss of hearing, perhaps because of a viral infection or an injury to their head or ears. Others experience a gradual decrease in their hearing over a long period of time.
Some causes of hearing impairment have symptoms other than hearing loss, such as dizziness, whistling sounds in the ears and loss of balance or co-ordination.
Prevention
Ear is one of the most fragile parts of the body. It can be damaged in many ways. Unless disease related, risk of deafness can be prevented by the following,
- Do not use television or stereo too loud, especially if you have young children around.
- Use noise cancelling earphones that helps in listening to music in low volume.
- Use ear buds if you work in noisy environment such as factory, airport, pub, clubs or garage.
- Don’t insert objects into the ear canal. It doesn’t’ clean your ear rather it damages it.
- Be aware of symptoms of deafness
Occupational Deafness related Compensation Law
Workers who are affected by industrial deafness will find it useful to look at Noise at Work Act 2005. These acts give guidance to employers which they must adhere to and are related to health and safety. Though today’s work environment are much quieter than they used to be due to advancement in technology; there are still work environments which pose a threat due to the nature of work they involve. However, if a worker was employed in an environment whereby his hearing has been damaged due to work related causes and constant noise; they may be entitled to compensation. In terms of compensation claim the following three matters are classed as non-occupational cause; conductive hearing loss, ageing and interaction between hearing loss due to noise and age.
Your claim solicitor will be able to advice you further on this matter.
Industrial deafness is unusual among prescribed diseases, in that the threshold for disablement payment is 20% instead of 14%.
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