Military Hearing Loss

Military Hearing Loss

---

If you served in the armed forces and you now suffer from hearing loss or tinnitus – a ringing or buzzing sound in your ears – then you could be entitled to compensation if some or all of your service was after 1987.

Military personnel can be exposed to excessive noise in a number of different ways, from gunfire to explosions, airplane noise to ship engine rooms and many more instances besides. Sometimes the cause of the hearing problem can be instant – such as gunshot close by – whereas other times the damage may occur over a longer period if you operate or work close by noisy vehicles or equipment. Whatever the cause we may be able to help.

In 1987 the law changed and what was known as Crown Immunity was removed in certain circumstances so that that the MOD was no longer exempt from liability for causing injuries or illnesses as a result of your service. While the armed forces are certainly not ‘the same as any other job’ in terms of what you do day to day, they are in the eyes of the law so if you suffer hearing damage as a result of:-

• Failure to be provided with adequate hearing protection
• Failure to be given proper health and safety training
• Delays or a misdiagnosis of hearing damage leading to further loss
• Lack of instruction or supervision during training exercises
• Negligent exposure to excessive noise

Then you may be entitled to financial compensation.

It is estimated that some 300,000 serving and former military personnel may have suffered hearing damage and/or tinnitus as a result of negligence but there still appears to be a reluctance to do anything about it. The prevailing attitude we encounter appears to be that noise exposure is and was ‘simply part of the job’ and while that is true to an extent – noisy situations are simply unavoidable at times – it is not the case when training or when the MOD tests equipment or vehicles for noise levels.

Hearing loss should not be deemed trivial either. Often it is not just a case of missing conversations or having the TV too loud, hearing damage can curtail military careers and have an impact on the civilian career opportunities post service. Even in less severe military deafness cases the impact can still be significant, as can the levels of compensation that are awarded.

Contact us today and see if we can help on a no win no fee basis. Call us FREE on 0800 028 2060 or request a FREE call back. You can also start a claim online.