Employees who have been working in a noisy environment for a long period of time, or who receive a sudden audio shock in the course of their work – which has led to partial or total deafness – may be entitled to make deafness compensation claims.
According to the regulations laid down in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2007), employers have a legal obligation to protect their employees from excessive exposure to noise, and failure to do so entitles their staff to file deafness compensation claims. This safety protection takes many forms – from providing protective headgear to enclosing the sound or reducing the time of exposure.
Deafness compensation claims need to be supported by the results of an audiometric test, which should be done by your doctor in order that comparisons can be made to previous tests. He will be able to calculate the level of deafness that your employment is responsible for and if it is likely to deteriorate any further.
Even when you feel that your hearing is just not as good as it was when you where younger, it is advisable to get audiometric testing done regularly when you work in a noisy environment. Should the tests display significant loss of hearing due to a lack of adequate protection by your employer, you should consult a solicitor about deafness compensation claims.
Making Deafness Compensation Claims
Applications for deafness compensation claims should initially be sent to the Injuries Board Ireland together with the medical evidence to support your application. However, because of the many different levels of hearing loss which are qualified for deafness compensation claims, there are no guidelines in the Book of Quantum to indicate the level of compensation you should receive. Therefore, when making deafness compensation claims for any level of hearing loss, it is advisable to use the services of a specialist personal injury claims solicitor.
A solicitor will not only have up-to-date information pertaining to the awards being made for deafness compensation claims, but will also be able to factor in an amount related to the loss in your quality of life and the ability to communicate with your family. Furthermore, should your employer´s insurance company approach you with an offer of early settlement, an informed solicitor will be able to advise you if it is a fair and adequate amount for the trauma you have suffered.
Because there are so many variables when it comes to deafness compensation claims, we have opened a free advice telephone service to answer questions relating to this particular situation. By calling the advice service, you or a member of your family will be able to speak directly with a solicitor, have your questions answered and receive valuable and helpful advice in respect of deafness compensation claims. There is no obligation on you to proceed with a claim once you have spoken with us, and all calls are taken in the utmost confidentiality.
Call us now on 1-800 989 995 or if you cannot speak now please fill in the form on the left and we will call you back.
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What You Can Expect
Our solicitors have many years of experience speaking with people who have experienced some level of deafness through no fault of their own. In many cases their deafness compensation claims are the result of many years of excessive exposure to noise and a gradual deterioration in their quality of life.
Therefore, you will find us very sympathetic when you call, ready to listen to the circumstances surrounding your loss of hearing and discovering how we can help with your deafness compensation claim. All the advice we give is in plain English and you are welcome to ask us to repeat it if it is not clear to you on the first occasion.
We will try to assess during the initial telephone conversation if you have a deafness compensation claim which it is worth your while to pursue, how long the claim should take to process and the likelihood of your success. Wherever possible, we will try to give you a general idea of the level of compensation we would expect you to receive.
You may want to discuss our advice with your family before deciding what to do. You may even be calling on behalf of a family member that you have to relate the information to. As stated above, you are under no obligation to proceed with a claim once you have spoken to us, although you are welcome to call us back and ask any further questions you may have thought of after the initial call.
Deafness compensation claims can involve quite a lengthy procedure, and it is better to get the process under way at the earliest possible opportunity. So please call our free advice telephone service on 1-800 989 995 between the hours of 8.00am and 10.00pm, or leave your contact details in the call-back box below and one of our friendly and helpful team will get back to you at a convenient time for you.
