Deafness claims against British businesses have rapidly risen to £26 million, with deafness claims made on commercial insurance policies rocketing in recent years
AXA business insurance reports a rise of 162% from 2009 – 2012, with a year on year rise of 75% in 2012 alone. With more claims for deafness than any other type of workplace injury or illness, AXA attributes this to a 30% increase in employer liability claims.
Exposure to loud noises on a regular basis can have considerable effect on hearing and lead to hearing loss over time. Current regulations of the Control of Noises At Work Act 2005 determine that employees exposed to noise levels in excess of 85dB on a daily or weekly basis should be provided with hearing protection. 87dB is the maximum noise level a worker can be exposed to after taking the muffling of sound protectors into consideration.
Industrial deafness is a hot topic at the moment and taking measures to protect hearing by both the employers and employees is vital to protecting hearing.
We are actively involved in this work in many different ways from providing a screening test programme for companies to recommending and fitting bespoke hearing protection for individuals and employers alike.
Sadly we still see a significant number of clients whose hearing has been permanently damaged and we have to provide hearing aids for them. We also provide tinnitus assessments and have a suite of solutions to help.
No amount of compensation can take away the suffering hearing damage creates so our message is simple. Please do protect your ears whenever you’re exposed to sound which might cause a problem later on.
Make an appointment to talk to us, the solutions are simple, cost effective and the benefits astounding.
