It was reported in the June edition of Hazards magazine that unions are becoming increasingly concerned about tinnitus caused by exposure to noise at work.

The condition includes sufferers hearing:

*     Buzzing

*     Whistling

*     Ringing

*     Whoosing

The sounds are most common at night when there is no background noise to mask the sound.  It is common for sufferers to complain they struggle to sleep at night and are given little help by the legal profession.

BT are under pressure at the moment with claims from engineers who used BT’s green set and yellow set oscillators, devices that transmit a constant high pitched sound through a headset allowing the engineer to listen for changes in tone and check for faults.  BT has subsequently withdrawn the equipment according to Hazards because they admitted it was dangerous.

WE Solicitors are acting for former BT staff whom were employed in BT call centres and experienced high pitched feedback in their headsets.

Historically tinnitus and hearing loss were considered the preserve of heavy industry but increasingly, as the risks associated with noise and the actionable levels of noise have reduced, other industries are coming to light.

If you have tinnitus or hearing loss and suspect it may have been caused by work call or email us today 0800 294 3065.