Sheffield Man Wins Four Figure Sum from Former Employers in Successful Industrial Deafness Claim
04/12/2009
Leading law firm Irwin Mitchell have urged employers to take greater precautions to protect workers from excessive noise, after a South Yorkshire man was left partially deaf whilst working for Sheffield City Council.
Alan Fox, 64, was awarded a four figure sum after it was discovered that Sheffield City Council did not provide protective equipment for his hearing whilst using pneumatic drills, JCB diggers, excavators, and various other small plant tools during his time working on a major construction project in the city between 1963 and 1969.
Mr Fox was also exposed to excessive levels of noise whilst working on the construction of Royal Hallamshire Hospital for Henry Hargreaves & Sons Ltd from 1974-1977.
He has now been left with a permanent loss of hearing as a result of the noise exposure and cannot hear conversations or high pitched noises without the assistance of hearing aids.
Mr Fox said: "Both jobs involved digging and construction work so I was working with loud machinery such as pneumatic drills and JCB diggers.
"My loss of hearing means that I now struggle to hear everyday conversations and it can be quite embarrassing when I have to ask people to repeat themselves several times."
Irwin Mitchell secured a four figure out-of-court settlement for industrial deafness from both of Mr Fox's former employers.
Nick Woods, Industrial Illness specialist at Irwin Mitchell, said: "We are pleased to have settled Mr Fox's case so he can access the help that he now needs.
"Noise-induced deafness can take a number of years to develop, and it's quite possible that a number of Mr Fox's colleagues, through no fault of their own, will have suffered similar injuries as a result of their exposure to noise.
"Employers must understand the need to provide the correct equipment and protection to their employees, as Mr Fox's injuries would have easily been avoided with basic hearing protection."
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