We investigate what noise levels were present, what protection was provided and whether hearing was monitored. Audiological evidence is then used to distinguish noise damage from age-related loss. We will explain the funding options available for your case.
Can I Make a Claim?
- You worked in a noisy environment without adequate hearing protection or monitoring.
- You now have hearing loss, tinnitus or both, consistent with noise exposure.
- The employer failed to assess noise, reduce it at source or enforce protection.
- Time generally runs from when you first appreciated that the loss was linked to work.
Situations We Are Instructed On
- Engineering, foundry and manufacturing production lines
- Textile mills, printing works and packaging plants
- Construction sites with cutting, breaking and piling operations
- Shipyards, railway maintenance and heavy plant operation
- Nightclub, entertainment and events work
- Any workplace where shouting was needed to be heard
What Compensation Could I Claim?
- Damages for the hearing loss and any tinnitus, based on audiometric findings
- Cost of hearing aids and their replacement over time
- Loss of earnings where the condition affected your role
- Assistive equipment such as amplified telephones and alerting devices
- Recognition of the social and communication impact of the loss
What can be recovered in any individual case depends on the medical evidence and on the losses that can be proved. We do not estimate figures before that evidence is available.
Evidence That Helps
- Employment history and details of the machinery and processes involved
- Any noise assessments and health surveillance audiograms
- Records of protection issued, training and enforcement
- An independent audiogram and expert ENT interpretation
- Colleague statements describing the noise environment
How Long Could the Claim Take?
Hearing loss claims are largely evidence-driven. Once audiology and engineering evidence are in place, many claims settle without proceedings, though tracing historic employers and insurers can add months to the timetable.
No Win No Fee Funding for This Type of Claim
A No Win No Fee agreement — known in law as a conditional fee agreement — is a written contract between you and your solicitor. Under it, our fee for the legal work becomes payable only if your claim is successful. It is a way of funding a claim without paying our costs up front. It is not a promise about the outcome of your case, and it is not available in every matter.
How a No Win No Fee agreement works
- Assessment first. We review the facts, the likely evidence and your prospects before deciding whether we can offer this type of funding.
- If the claim succeeds. The opponent is usually ordered or agrees to pay a substantial part of your legal costs. A success fee — a percentage uplift on our charges, capped by law in personal injury work — is deducted from your compensation. The percentage will be stated in your agreement before you sign it.
- If the claim does not succeed. You would not pay our fee for the legal work covered by the agreement. You may still be responsible for certain disbursements and, in some circumstances, the opponent’s costs, which is why insurance arrangements are discussed with you at the outset.
- Deductions and other costs. Expenses such as medical reports, court fees, expert evidence and any insurance premium are dealt with separately. We will explain which of these may be deducted from your damages and how they are calculated.
- Alternatives. You may already have legal expenses cover through a household, motor or credit card policy, or through a trade union. We will ask about this because it may be a better option for you.
Who may be eligible
Eligibility depends on the individual case, including whether another party appears to be legally responsible, whether the injury and losses can be evidenced, and whether the claim is brought in time. Some claims are not suitable for this form of funding. We will tell you honestly if we cannot act on this basis, and explain the alternatives that may be open to you.
The exact terms — including the success fee percentage, the disbursements involved and what would happen if the claim were unsuccessful — are set out in writing and explained to you before you decide whether to proceed. Nothing on this page is a guarantee about the outcome of a claim or a statement that any particular funding arrangement will be available. Please take advice about your own circumstances.
Speaking to a No Win No Fee Solicitor
The first conversation is an assessment, not a commitment. A solicitor will listen to what happened, identify who may be legally responsible and consider what evidence is likely to be available. In the context of occupational hearing loss claims, that usually means looking closely at how the incident occurred, what records exist and how your injury has affected your work and daily life.
Once we understand the case, we can discuss funding. Where a conditional fee arrangement is appropriate, we will explain the terms, the deductions and the risks in writing so that you can make an informed decision. Where it is not appropriate, we will say so and set out any alternative route available to you, including existing insurance cover or union support. Either way, you will know where you stand before any work begins.
Occupational Hearing Loss Claims FAQs
- How is work noise damage separated from ageing?
- An audiogram shows a characteristic pattern of loss. An expert apportions between age-related change and noise exposure.
- I was given earplugs. Does that defeat my claim?
- Not automatically. The employer must also assess noise, reduce it where practicable, train staff and enforce use of protection.
- Can I claim for tinnitus alone?
- Tinnitus can be claimed where it is attributable to noise exposure, whether or not measurable hearing loss is present.
- Is it too late if I retired years ago?
- Possibly not. The key date is usually when you first knew, or ought to have known, that your hearing problems were work-related.
Speak to our team
Tell us what happened and we will assess the claim and explain the funding options that may be available to you, in writing, before you decide how to proceed.