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Why Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer for Workplace Induced Hearing Loss
Posted: Dec 14, 2017
Did you know some employers should consider the implementation of hearing loss prevention programs because a loud work environment can place employees at a higher risk for an occupational hearing loss? From construction sites to manufacturing units, hearing loss has become an occupational hazard. This hearing loss due to huge noises at the workplace can take multiple forms including partial deafness or hear a chronic ringing in the ears.
Since these types of hearing loss are work-related, one should consider hiring a personal injury lawyer in Perth to get the compensation they are entitled to.
Causes of Workplace Hearing Loss
The workplace hearing loss can be caused by any one of the following reasons.
- Constant exposure to high decibel levels at work areas with industrial machinery could cause permanent hearing loss.
- Injuries to the head during an accident at workplace.
- Sudden exposure to a deafening noise.
Hearing Loss Claim in Australia
If you’ve suffered hearing loss from work, then you are entitled to a workers compensation claim. To be eligible for this compensation, the minimum required workplace hearing loss must be 10%. Compared to the baseline test taken during the start of employment, the test should show a 10% or greater loss of hearing.
Requirements for Industrial Deafness Claim
To make an industrial deafness claim, one must
- Feature a work capacity certificate that diagnoses your industrial deafness.
- Be temporarily unemployed, but would normally be considered a worker.
- Have been employed for at least five years in an employment where the noise level was a significant contributing factor to your industrial deafness.
While determining the compensation claim for your workplace hearing loss, a hearing assessment test will be conducted by an audiologist to determine the extent of hearing loss. The result of this examination outlines the percentage of hearing loss attributable to work plus the lump sum compensation amount.
The best personal injury lawyers in Perth will seek compensation for workplace hearing loss for,
- Medical costs that include emergency hospital bills.
- Ongoing medical costs that include physical and mental therapy, pharmaceuticals, and speech therapy
- Loss of income or lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Lost quality of life
Wrapping Up
If your claim is accepted, you may be entitled to lump sum compensation. Weekly compensation or reimbursement of medical expenses is not applicable. You can make a claim every three years from the date the first claim was lodged, once you claim has been accepted.
Talk to the professionals at Trewin Norman and Co, one of the leading personal injury law firms in Perth WA to know more about workplace hearing loss.
The author of this article is the leading personal injury lawyer in Perth with over 20 years of experience in practicing personal injury law. In this article, he throws some light on workplace induced hearing loss and its compensation. Visit http://www.trewinnorman.com.au/ for more information.
Based in Perth’s Northern Suburbs, Trewin Norman and Co are a specialist practice offering legal advice and representation in all areas of personal injury law including motor vehicle accidents...