Maritime Lawyers

Occupational Hearing Loss

Hearing loss, in any situation, has an adverse affect on an individual’s quality of life. In addition, it has costs for an individual’s employer as well. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent hearing loss via the use of personal protective equipment.

Noise exposure can be described by the intensity (loudness), frequency (pitch), and duration (length) of a noise. Exposure to loud noise levels for short periods of time may cause temporary hearing loss with the individual’s hearing restored generally within 24 hours. Long-term exposure to loud noise can cause permanent hearing damage.

Noise is either continuous or impulse (impact). Continuous noise is defined as a wide range of frequencies produced in shipboard and shore facility settings. It involves a subtle worsening of an individual’s ability to hear. Over a long period of time, the loss is noticeable but it is frequently too late to correct the problem. Impulse noise is a sudden, loud burst of noise that lasts a short while. It is possible to suffer permanent hearing loss from unprotected exposure to a single loud impulse sound.

Because of the sensitivity of ears, it is important to use personal protection equipment (ear plugs, etc.) whenever the noise is expected to be around 85 db (A) or above. It is a good idea, whenever possible, to avoid noises of above 100 decibels as they are extremely damaging to ears.

Occupational hearing loss has human and economic impacts. In human terms, there is frequently a diminished quality of life due to hearing loss. This can be due to a lessened ability to communicate with other people and social isolation. In addition, this diminished hearing ability can lead to an increased risk of injury while at work. People can miss warning signals and be seriously injured.

On an economic scale, the loss of hearing in workers can lead to lost time, decreased productivity, and a loss of qualified workers due to hearing loss. In addition, noisy work environments can result in missed commands with dire consequences for people and ships. These risks including running aground or hitting an object in the water.

The worst part is that noise induced hearing loss is almost entirely preventable. It can be prevented by identifying hazardous noise areas (engine rooms, etc.), monitoring workers’ hearing abilities through the use of regular hearing tests, providing training to workers on the benefits of hearing protection, and enforcing the use of personal protective equipment.

If you have experienced extreme hearing loss due to exposure to loud noises in your work environment, contact the occupational hearing loss maritime lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.