No win, no fee compensation for industrial deafness
Each year many people turn to personal injury solicitors in search of no win, no fee compensation after being diagnosed with work-related hearing damage. Hearing loss is one of the most common industrial illnesses and unfortunately, for nearly all, it is a condition which will affect their day to day activities for the rest of their lives.
It is estimated that 153,000 men and 26,000 women in the UK aged between 35 and 64 suffer from severe hearing difficulty which is attributable to their work, whilst a further 266,000 men and 84,000 women have tinnitus. Whilst on the face of it these statistics seem to show that men are more vulnerable to industrial deafness, it is likely that men work in generally more noisy environments than women.
Southampton University research into industrial deafness
Researchers from Southampton University carried out a major study into industrial deafness in 2001, looking at those careers which put workers most at risk of suffering from hearing loss or tinnitus. It concentrated on workers aged between 35 and 64 as many younger people have not worked in a noisy environment for long enough to have sustained noticeable hearing loss.
The researchers divided their results by gender and found quite substantial differences between the types of male and female workers who reported industrial deafness. They found that among men, transport or machinery operatives were most likely to have industrial deafness, followed by construction workers and material moving and storage workers. Among women, caterers and cleaners reported the highest levels of hearing difficulty. Read more about professions at risk of industrial deafness.
As well as looking at hearing loss, the research also considered tinnitus sufferers. The results showed that for men, the farming, fishing and forestry industries were the ones in which most people sustained tinnitus. These were followed by transport and machinery operatives and those working in electrical and metal processing. Female cleaners and women involved in managerial roles were found to be most at risk of tinnitus. Read more about tinnitus-prone industries.
It is likely that many of these workers could make no win, no fee compensation claims against their employers over the negligence which caused their hearing loss and/or tinnitus. However, proceedings must be brought within three years of diagnosis, as otherwise the claim will be considered to be too late to be viable.
Claiming no win, no fee compensation
If you have been diagnosed with industrial deafness, we may well be able to help you get personal injury compensation on a no win, no fee basis. A number of the personal injury solicitors within our expert panel specialise in industrial deafness claims and have an excellent success rate in this area.
If your no win, no fee claim is successful, you will be able to claim compensation for the pain and suffering which your hearing loss or tinnitus has caused, as well as reimbursements for any costs or losses you have experienced. And, unlike some personal injury solicitors, we won't make any deductions from your no win, no fee compensation award.
To find out whether you could claim industrial deafness compensation, get in contact with us today. Call free on 0800 10 757 95, leave a call-back request or talk to us online via e-chat for a no obligation claim assessment and free legal advice.
