Industrial Deafness

Don’t risk losing your hearing to your job

Noisy conditions in the workplace pose a very real risk of damaging the hearing of people who are constantly exposed to them. If noise levels are not tested and regulated by employers, the consequences for poorly informed workers can be life-changing.

Acoustic trauma, the damage caused to the ear by loud noises, causes injury to the structure of the vulnerable inner ear. The extent of the damage depends on the volume and amount of time you are exposed to a loud noise, but can lead to serious hearing impairment and sometimes complete deafness. (NHS Choices, 2006)

Losing your hearing

Hearing loss caused by noise exposure – the specific type of deafness which can affect those who have worked for a long time in a noisy industry – characteristically means your hearing at high frequencies is compromised, but over time this inconsistency spreads to affect the lower and higher frequencies too. (RNID, 2009)

The early signs of damaged hearing can be detected by audiogram.

The effects of noise exposure may initially go unnoticed but ultimately can lead to complete loss of hearing. Sufferers may at first notice that they have a problem hearing conversations that take place with background noise and after a while become aware that they have difficulty hearing even normal conversations in a relatively quiet room. (RNID, 2009).

Exposure to the effects of noise at work could mean having to wear a hearing aid at a young age, and serious deafness may mean relying on lip reading and sign language to communicate with others.

Symptoms of damaged hearing

If you think you could be at risk, it’s essential that you recognise the signs early. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you could be at risk from permanently damaging or losing your hearing:

  • when conversation becomes difficult, or impossible
  • phone calls become troublesome
  • sounds like ‘t’, ‘d’ and ‘s’ become difficult to hear, meaning you often confuse similar words
  • you experience permanent tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears)

Risks in the workplace

Employers have a legal duty to protect your hearing, so it’s best to make sure the noise you are exposed to at work has been assessed and is being managed by your employer. There are a few things to bear in mind when assessing the risks of high noise levels…

  • Is the noise intrusive for most of your working day? A busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant are examples.
  • Is it necessary to raise your voice to have a normal conversation at a distance of about 2m – for at least part of the day?
  • Do you use noisy power tools or machinery for over half an hour a day?
  • Are there noises because of impacts (like hammering), explosive sources such as detonators, or guns?
  • Do you have muffled hearing at the end of the day, even if it’s better by the next morning?

The following noisy industries also put you at greater risk –

  • construction
  • demolition
  • road repair
  • woodworking
  • plastics processing
  • engineering
  • textile manufacture
  • general fabrication
  • forging, pressing or stamping
  • paper or board making
  • canning or bottling
  • foundries

The above factors can put you at serious risk from damaged hearing, and even permanent hearing loss. As always, it’s the ultimate responsibility of your employer to ensure at all times the health, safety and welfare of their workers – your workplace should never expose you to the risk of losing your hearing.

What employers should do

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) recommends that your employer should pay attention to the following points in protecting you from noise exposure where you work.

  • Reduce noise produced by machinery or other equipment. Information about noise levels should influence what kind of machinery is bought; enclosing, fitting silencers or isolating some machinery can help to reduce noise.
  • Reorganise work patterns, with the aim of reducing periods of exposure to noise, and reducing the number of workers managing noisy jobs
  • Use ear protectors – earplugs, earmuffs or canal caps reduce the sound levels reaching your ears, where carrying out a noisy job is not preventable
  • Educate, throughout the organisation to raise awareness of the dangers of excessively loud noises and the preventative measures employees should adopt

How you can help yourself

You can help yourself by following any advice given with regard to protecting your hearing at work and by using any protective equipment that has been provided for you by your employer.

  • Make sure that you use any hearing protection you are given properly and that you look after it correctly. Your employer should ensure that you have been given adequate training in how to use and look after any equipment provided for you.
  • Hearing protection should be worn the entire time you are carrying out noisy work or whenever you are in hearing protected areas. Even short periods without protection can lead to permanent damage to your hearing.
  • If you are experiencing any problem with your hearing protection you should inform your employer or safety representative immediately.
  • Attend any hearing checks that are arranged for you and inform your employer of any ear problems.

There is no cure for deafness so it is up to you to take some responsibility for your hearing.

What you should expect from your employer

Your employer must, by law, assess and identify measures to reduce or eliminate any risk to employees from exposure to noise at work.

This may include:-

  • Providing employees with hearing protection and ensuring its use
  • Ensuring employees receive appropriate information and training
  • Ensuring that any other controls are used correctly
  • Carrying out regular hearing checks
  • Ensuring that the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded

The Noise at Work Act 1989 was introduced in order to prevent cases of work related deafness and put in place rules relating to health and safety in the workplace. It is thanks to this that incidences of industrial deafness are rarer than they used to be. If you work, or once worked, in a noisy environment and your hearing has deteriorated you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim. It is important that you contact a solicitor who has experience in handling such claims as soon as possible as there are strict time limits for making a personal injury compensation claim. Macks Solicitors is a modern law firm which has successfully represented clients whose hearing has suffered because of the conditions in which they have worked. If you suffer from partial or total loss of hearing as a result of exposure to noise at work we can advise you on making a compensation claim.