Hearing Loss Claim Time Limit

If you have been exposed to an excessive amount of noise at work, then you are at risk of experiencing permanent hearing loss and tinnitus.

Sufferers of tinnitus can experience:

• A constant ringing in the ears
• A constant buzzing in the ears
• Hearing white noise

Some sufferers only experience one of these symptoms, while those who have severe cases of the condition can suffer all symptoms at different times. Tinnitus occurs when the inner part of the ear – known as the Cochlea – is damaged. The cochlea is designed to carry thousands of tiny cells that detect sound to the brain. When these cells are damaged, the brain tries to find sound from elsewhere in the body and this is what leads to tinnitus.

As both tinnitus and complete hearing loss are caused by excessive noise, working in certain environments can put you more at risk.

Some of these industries include:

• Steelworks
• Power stations
• Shipbuilding
• Factories and mills
• Processing
• Stone cutting and quarrying

In any workplace, your employer has a duty of care to fulfil that shows that they are providing adequate protection for their employees. This includes:

• Giving all employees information about the risks that exist in their workplace and how they are protected, in addition to instructing and providing training on how to avoid them.
• Carrying out regular risk assessments that address all potential harm in the workplace.
• Consulting employees on health and safety issues. This consultation can be a direct one, or through a safety representative that is elected by the workforce or appointed by the trade union.

If, as an employee, you have developed hearing loss because of your employer’s failure to correctly protect you, then we can help you to make a claim for compensation.

To receive compensation for a hearing loss that you have suffered, you must make the claim within three years from the point at which you first noticed your symptoms. When you have received a medical diagnosis, contact our expert solicitors as soon as possible to get your claim process started.

You are still likely within the hearing loss claim time limit even if your exposure was longer than 3 years ago, which is often the case with most hearing loss claims, as long as you only noticed the symptoms within the last 3 years.

Read more about industrial disease claims