Yorkshire woman receives compensation for hearing loss caused 30 years ago

A woman has been awarded £3,000 in compensation for hearing loss caused by exposure to loud noise at the mill where she worked 30 years ago.

The woman had been a ring doffer at a textile mill between 1972 and 1981. Twenty one years after leaving that job she noticed that her hearing in her left ear had decreased. She was unable to hear people properly even though they were close to her and she found herself having to lip read.

The volume on the television needed to be turned up for her and people said she tended to shout rather than speak to them.

Her doctor diagnosed that she was suffering from sensorineural hearing loss.

She brought a compensation claim on the basis that the mill had been negligent in exposing her to harmful levels of noise for long periods. The mill admitted liability and she agreed to accept £3,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

Anyone who suffers injury as a result of someone else’s negligence is entitled to claim compensation.