Industrial Deafness Solicitors
Struggling to hear the TV? Have your family been complaining that you do not hear them? Ever noticed a high pitched ringing sound in your ears? Do you have difficulty hearing a conversation when there is background noise? Worked in a noisy environment? You could be entitled to compensation.
Many people think that their hearing problem is just a symptom of getting older however, in many cases, hearing loss can be contributed to by causes other than age, such as exposure to excessive noise at work. This could be from the tools or machinery they were using or, that were being used around them. Many people recall having to shout to their work colleagues to be heard or that their ears would ring or hurt when they got home from work.
Exposure to noise at work may have occurred many years ago or employers may no longer be trading. This is not necessarily a problem as we have the skills and resources to trace and restore companies to enable these claims to proceed.
Wolferstans has acted successfully against many companies and organisations including the Ministry of Defence, National Coal Board, British Steel (Corus and Tata), and British Rail. We have acted for people employed in a wide range of industries including the dockyards, shipbuilding, light and heavy engineering, car manufacturing and weavers and spinners in the textile industry.
Compensation can be available for hearing loss caused as a result of exposure to excessive noise at work. Claims for deafness caused in this way should be dealt with by specialists who ensure that it is not the individual, or the NHS, that bears the brunt of the employer’s failure to act.
If you would like to speak to someone about bringing a claim for your hearing loss and working conditions, we can help.
If you would like advice and a free consultation, please contact Alexandra Nicholas on 01752 423523.
Your Questions Answered
When you first contact us about your personal injury claim, we will take a few initial details, such as:
- Your employment history
- Your symptoms
- Diagnosis and treatment
When we have this information, we will be able to consider whether we believe you have good prospects of winning your case. This advice will be part of your free initial consultation.
Each individual claim is different and will vary in length depending on the individual circumstances.
If the other party admits they were at fault, you could receive compensation within as little as 6 months. On the other hand, if liability is in dispute, or you are suffering from ongoing problems, your claim may take longer to resolve. In some cases, we can obtain interim payments from the other side to make sure you are not out of pocket.
In claims for deafness caused by noise at work court proceedings must generally be issued within three years of the date of knowledge. This is the date that you first became aware you had a significant problem with your hearing and knew, or should have known, that it was likely to be caused by workplace noise.
Often in deafness cases the exposure to the noise happened decades ago but the damage only becomes apparent at a later date.
We can advise you specifically on the facts of your case.
This is not necessarily an issue. We have means of tracing former employers and directors. We deal with the employer’s insurance company even if the employer is not trading.
Yes, we will obtain details of your employment history to establish which employers may have exposed you to noise. In cases where more than one employer may be liable claims can be made against each of them. Usually a contribution will be established for each employer based upon the length of service.