Employers Compensate Worker for Hearing Loss
A welder who suffered long-term hearing loss due to high levels of noise in his workplace has received compensation from three different employers after all of them admitted their liability for his deafness.
John Walton worked with British Steel Corporation, now known as Corus, Darchem Projects Limited and Turbros Engineering for different periods from 1978 to 2007.
He had been working in an extremely noisy environment for all three employers, when a 2007 medical examination showed that he had lost his hearing considerably. Walton had had hearing problems for several years, but he came to know the gravity of the ailment only after the medical test.
Thereafter, he contacted his union GMB, which decided to take action against the employers and filed a suit for compensation through their lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors. However, all three employers accepted the responsibility for Walton’s loss of hearing and reached an out of court settlement with him, paying £12,750 in damages.
Billy Coates from the GMB said there are a number of employees who suffer from hearing problems every year due to their exposure to extremely high levels of noise at the workplace. However, he was quick to point out that workers often ignore the seriousness of their hearing problems. He added that all such employees who have sustained permanent hearing damage due to the negligence of employers must be compensated.
Coates was supported by Linda Redhead from Thompsons Solicitors, who said many employees are unaware that their hearing disorders have been caused by work and believe them to have been caused by ageing. She stressed that all workers exposed to extreme noisy environment at the workplace could pursue a compensation claim against their employers.
I’m glad to hear that workers are being compensated for hearing loss. There are so many every day things that people don’t even consider can harm their hearing.