WE Solicitors are acting for a number of former employees of John Tams Group and we require assistance from former workers who may be able to help us with our case.

John Tams was a large manufacturer of pottery in the Stoke on Trent area.  At it’s height it owned and operated up to 15 sites in the area including:

• Blythe Works
• Crown Works
• Atlas Works
• Monarch works
• Royal Grafton Works
• Sutherland Works

Our clients have all suffered from noise induced hearing loss that we allege was caused by negligent exposure to noise in the factories owned by the John Tams Group.

Whilst it is widely accepted that the pottery industry was extremely noisy, the insurers representing John Tams are arguing that the factories were relatively quiet.  WE Solicitors have successfully represented many ceramics workers and do not accept that this is the case.  As the company no longer exists, the insurers are stating they have no documents confirming what the noise levels were.

Legally, it was accepted as long ago as 1963 that noise can damage hearing.  Employers should have taken steps in the 1960’s to protect their workforce from the harmful affects of noise.  Sadly in most instances it was not until the 1980’s or even 1990’s that employers started to phase in hearing protection.

Of course the cause of hearing damage can be difficult to determine.  You do not wake up one morning and realise you cannot hear properly.  The symptoms creep up gradually over many years and most people simply put it down to getting old and the wear and tear of life.

Classic symptoms include:

• Having the TV or radio very loud and your family complaining.
• Struggling to hear conversations when there is background noise.
• Sometime you may have a buzzing or whistling in your ears

If you had to shout over the factory noise to speak to colleagues standing six feet away then the noise levels could have been loud enough to cause damage to your hearing.  If you have any recollection of these factories and the noise levels please contact us immediately.  If you are suffering from similar symptoms please contact Steven Evans on freephone 0800 294 3065 or email info@wesolicitors.com