October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, and Kimmel Carter highlights the seriousness of hearing loss-related injuries at work.
12% of the U.S. working population has hearing difficulty. This does not include the thousands of retired workers who have hearing loss due to noise exposure at work. 25% of all hearing loss cases happen from work environments.
Workers in noisy environments construction workers, people who work at airports, nightclubs and bar employees, musicians, transportation workers, and many others must be provided appropriate ear protection while on the job. Once you’ve lost your hearing, you can’t get it back.
What are your rights?
In Delaware, work-related hearing loss is covered by workers’ compensation. There are two types of hearing loss claims:
· Traumatic hearing loss: immediate hearing loss caused by a sudden, unexpected event, like an explosion or ear injury.
· Occupational hearing loss: exposure to loud noise over an extended period, such as working with loud machinery day after day.
If your hearing loss is work-related, workers’ compensation is required to pay for the full cost of your medical treatment. This may include appointments with a variety of doctors and specialists like an Audiologist or an ENT (ear, nose, and throat). Workers’ compensation is required to cover costs of related medical expenses needed to restore hearing like a hearing aid. Workers must also pay lost wages and permanent impairment benefits that are causally related to your hearing loss from work. Hearing loss can happen over time and it is quite common. One out of eight people suffers from hearing loss. You must schedule a free consultation with one of the many experienced attorneys at Kimmel Carter if you experience hearing loss from your work environment.
