Hearing Loss: The Latest Occupational Hazard

When we think of on-the-job injuries, we think about falls, accidents, and perhaps repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. However, many people do not consider the permanent, debilitating affect of hazardous noise levels at work sites - noise levels that can lead to hearing loss and even permanent deafness. In fact according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as many as ten million workers in the United States are exposed to dangerous levels of noise during their workday.

What amount of noise is too much noise? Medical experts have found that being exposed to more than 90 decibels of sound (about the level of a truck engine five yards away) on a regular basis can cause ear damage and hearing loss. Normally, experts in sound say that all work environments that workers have to yell to be heard in have a hazardous level of noise. Even though the United States of America has federal laws that are designed to protect employees from being exposed to harmful levels of sound (or to be exposed to high levels of noise for a hazardous period of time), thousands of workers report experiencing noise-related hearing problems every year.

Some jobs carry a higher risk of occupational hearing loss than others:
• Military personnel
• Airline ground crews
• Construction workers
• Police officers, firefighters, and other first responders
• Farmers
• Industrial workers
• Factory workers
• Miners
• Subway and public transportation workers
• Musicians and DJs
• Concert or stadium workers

Hearing loss is usually permanent and can be accompanied by tinnitus, a prolonged ringing in the ears. One's loss of hearing can make it nearly impossible to continue working. Not only that, but it often will drastically alter many areas of your life, from your interactions, to your capacity to finish common tasks, to even what you ultimately get out of life.

It is extremely important to understand that those who suffer from occupational hearing loss or deafness may qualify for workers' compensation benefits in Missouri or Illinois. Whether your hearing was injured over numerous years of being employed at deafening work sites or whether your hearing loss took place during a unique on-the-job event or accident, you may warrant workers' compensation assistance until you are able to go back to work or your employer finds a new more suitable position for you.

Have you or a loved one suffered hearing loss or become deaf because of a noisy work environment? If so, you should speak with a Missouri workers' compensation attorney about the possibility of receiving support for your job-related injury. If your hearing loss workers' compensation claim has recently been denied, it even more important to talk with an Missouri workers' comp lawyer about your case.