Mr Battle was exposed to excessive levels of noise, whilst working in the steel industry for a period of over 7 years. Mr Battle worked for Stanton & Staveley at Ports Quarry, Hill Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire. The company was later taken over by British Steel / Tata Steel, who were ultimately pursued in respect of the claim.

Mr Battle was employed as a grinder in the 18 Foot Spun Department, until around the last year of his employment, when he became an inspector within the grinding area. He advises that throughout his employment, he was exposed to the noise of grinding machines, hand held grinders, trams and cutting machines.

During Mr Battle’s employment, he believes hearing protection may have been available, but as there was no noise awareness training given and the use of the protection was not enforced, people were not aware of the risks of working in noise and did not bother wearing them. Mr Battle advised that even when he did try the hearing protection, it was inadequate and ill-fitting and would just fall out. He did try and use cotton wool when the noise was uncomfortable, but cotton wool is known to be inadequate, in protecting against the risks of noise damage.

Mr Battle now suffers from a moderate noise induced hearing loss and mild noise related tinnitus, which was confirmed when WE Solicitors arranged a medical assessment of his hearing condition. This was presented to the defendants, as part of the evidence, to support Mr Battle’s claim.

WE Solicitors were able to negotiate an out of court settlement of £7,000.00 for Mr Battle, avoiding the associated timescales and work involved in court proceedings. Both Mr Battle and WE Solicitors are very pleased with the outcome.