You are in: Home Page |
News Desk | News Story
5th December 2008
National Grid employee compensated for hearing loss
Exposed to dangerous levels of noise at work
A GMB member who was exposed to dangerous levels of noise in the workplace for over three decades has been compensated.Stanley Owston, 67, from Hull has received £4,000 in damages after suffering occupational deafness.
He now uses a hearing aid as a result of the condition, caused by excessive noise.
His hearing became damaged when working for National Grid, as an assistant distribution fitter from 1963 until the early 1990s.
No hearing protection provided
He worked with a number of noisy tools including jackhammers and compressors but wasn’t provided with hearing protection until the mid 1980s. Even then, no instruction or advice was given on the dangers of excessive noise.
Mr Owston was advised to pursue compensation by his doctor following an audiogram in December 2006, which confirmed he had noise induced hearing loss in both ears.
He contacted his union, the GMB who instructed their lawyers Thompsons Solicitors.
National Grid admitted liability and a settlement was agreed out of court.
Deafness caused by work
Mr Owston, who is now retired, said: “When the doctor told me my ears were damaged he asked me where I had worked. He said that my deafness was without a doubt caused by my work.
“During the 1960s we didn’t wear any protection on our ears and even after that it was never consistently enforced. We were never warned that we might become deaf as a result of our work. I should not have been put in a situation where my health could suffer. By claiming compensation I wanted to warn others to demand adequate protection for their ears when working in a noisy environment.”
Andy Worth from the GMB said: “Many of our members have been negligently exposed to excessive levels of noise in the workplace by their employers, particularly those working on the highways or in manufacturing. Sadly even with the knowledge and the safety equipment available it continues today.
“It is only right that those deafened through their employer’s negligence should be compensated for the long term damage to their hearing.”
Carol Wild from Thompsons Solicitors added: “Employers have duty of care to ensure their employees are safeguarded against all dangers at work including excessive noise levels. Loss of hearing is sometimes thought to be a hazard of the job, if the employers provided no or no adequate protection it isn’t ‘just one of those things’, its negligent and compensatable.”
Compensation Claim Advice
If you or someone you know has developed occupational deafness or any other industrial illness, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.
There are strict time limits in place to make any injury claim, including claims for occupational deafness. For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.
Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim for occupational deafness in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have. If you do have a valid personal injury compensation claim and you decide to instruct Thompsons Solicitors to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your industrial deafness, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.
Injured
Is it costing you money?Claim compensation
Call us on 08000 224 224
