Lawyer Urges Employers To Provide Ear Protection

A retired Rotherham woman whose former employer failed to provide her with protective safety equipment for part of her career causing her permanent hearing damage has spoken out to help prevent other workers from suffering ‘avoidable’ injuries.

With help from industrial deafness experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell, 82-year-old Jean Weyman, from Thrybergh, has been awarded a four figure out of court settlement from her past employer as she suffers reduced hearing in both ears and has to wear hearing aids years earlier than she would have normally.

It is thought Jean suffered her injuries during her work as a clipper making barbed wire at Tinsley Wire Ltd from 1970  –1977 where she was exposed to high levels of noise from numerous metal drums spinning constantly throughout the day causing irreparable damage to her hearing.

Sarah Tagg, an Industrial Deafness expert who has helped Jean in her battle for justice, said: “Jean was not provided with ear protection throughout all of her working life at Tinsley Wire. This has meant that she’s been left with partial, permanent deafness which affects her day to day routine.

“To prevent future workers from suffering this type of wholly avoidable injury, I’d urge employers to ensure that noise exposure in workplaces is kept to a minimum and crucially to ensure ear protection is provided for employers for the duration of their careers.”

Commenting on her injury, Jean said: "When I first started to notice my hearing problems, I didn’t think I had a problem.  It was only due to my daughters commenting that I was not hearing people knocking at the door and having my TV turned up loud that I realised I may have a problem.  I find that I struggle when speaking on the telephone and this becomes frustrating for me and my family members.

“I hope by speaking out about my story employers will take this sort of thing seriously and help look after their workers properly. To know simple steps could have been taken to help save my hearing is really frustrating.” 

If you or a loved one has suffered from hearing damage such as acoustic shock, tinnitus, and noise-induced hearing loss caused by conditions at work our solicitors could help you claim compensation. See our Industrial Disease Claims page for more information.