Three Companies Compensate Worker for Hearing Loss
John Walton received compensation from three of his former employers after it was found that his job had damaged his hearing. All three employers admitted liability.
Walton had been employed by Corus (formerly known as British Steel Corporation), Darchem Projects Ltd and Turbros Engineering throughout his working career. He had worked in these companies for different periods from 1978 to 2007. He was a welder and was required by his profession to work in noisy areas. However, a medical check-up done in 2007 revealed that he had lost his hearing.
Walton had been having difficulties with hearing for quite a while but had never realised that the problem could be so severe. It was only after his medical diagnosis that he came to know of the extent of damage caused to his hearing ability by constantly working in the noisy environment. Soon after he contacted his workers’ union, the GMB, which instructed its lawyers Thompsons Solicitors to file a compensation claim against the three companies where Walton had worked.
All three employers accepted the charges levelled by the law firm and paid Walton 12,750 pounds towards damages for deafness caused at work in an out of court settlement.
The GMB said the problem of hearing impairment was common and that many employees who are required by the nature of their jobs to work in noisy environments suffer from such occupational diseases. The union added that employers who are responsible for such physical damage to workers must compensate them monetarily.
Thompsons Solicitors added that many sufferers do not realise that work conditions and not mere ageing are actually causing the hearing loss. They pointed out that workers must be aware that excessive noise at workplace can cause such problems.
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