Hearing-loss workers win compensation

£5,000 payout for 60% deaf Eric
MORE than £270,000 in compensation has so far been secured for Oldham residents who have suffered work-related hearing loss.

About 70 people who worked for some of the borough’s biggest heavy industry and textile employers have been awarded compensation, mainly for noise-induced deafness at work.

One such man is Eric Bennett (70), from Failsworth, who worked for engineering firm Mather and Platt from 1956 to 1997.

Mr Bennett used to inspect the water pumps built by the company, which would mean standing near to the deafening machinery during his daytime shifts.

The grandfather-of-five said: “The pump sounded like a waterfall and the motor that ran it was just as bad.

“There was no chance of hearing what anyone said, you had to shout.

“I only ever had one hearing test in the 1980s which didn’t show up any problems, and the company only issued ear defenders in the 1990s which made a huge difference.”

It was once Mr Bennett retired that his wife noticed he was having trouble hearing the television.

He said: “It was a very gradual thing, I hadn’t noticed I was losing my hearing until I was attending meetings and had to sit in the front row.

“In 2007, I went to see my doctor who said it was wax in my ears so I had them syringed.

“I went to see a specialist hearing company in 2009 and they told me I’d lost 60 per cent of my hearing in both ears. I have to wearing hearing aids for the rest of my life.”

Mr Bennett then spotted an advert by Failsworth company WE Solicitors asking for people that worked at places like Mather and Platt to come forward.

The solicitors, which has helped others with similar injuries, prepared a case on Mr Bennett’s behalf against Weir Pumps, which took over Mather and Platt in 1986.

The matter was settled out of court in December last year and Mr Bennett is currently waiting for a £5,000 payout.

He said: “I’d rather have my hearing back than the money but I’m glad I went down this route.”

WE Solicitors said it has helped secure payouts in excess of £90,000 for former workers from Fletchers Mill, while Osram workers, based in Duke Mill, have been awarded damages in total exceeding £60,000.

Steven Evans, head of the industrial disease department at WE Solicitors, said injuries could have been easily prevented for the cost of a pair of ear plugs.

He said: “Many of the people who have come to us directly didn’t think they could make a claim for because the company no longer existed.

“Many of our clients simply thought their symptoms were age related and put them down to the wear and tear of life.

“Hopefully we have been able to assist them obtain damages and hearing aids to compensate them for their loss.”