Workers in Cumbria’s shipbuilding yards could be in line for compensation after their hearing was damaged while at work.

Leading industrial injury lawyers Attwood Solicitors have organised a free hearing day in Barrow on Tuesday, 10 August.

The event – at the Dock Museum, Barrow – is being held after shipyard workers contacted Attwood Solicitors about their hearing difficulties.

Experts say many older and retired workers are now suffering hearing loss after being subjected to high levels of noise while working in heavy industries during the 1970s and 80s.

And a Scandinavian study into the health of shipyard workers showed around half had hearing problems with a fifth suffering severe Noise Induced Hearing Loss.

Audiologists will be available to carry-out free hearing tests and give advice to workers at the Dock Museum on 10 August.

The event is open to anyone who believes they have suffered hearing loss while at work, regardless of the industry involved.

But Ashley Attwood, Principal Solicitor, said: “A recent awareness raising campaign saw a major response from workers in the shipbuilding industry.

“As a result, we have decided to hold a free hearing event in Barrow and we are delighted to have secured a fantastic venue in the Dock Museum, which is built in a dry dock and is synonymous with the local shipbuilding industry.”

Mr Attwood said they were expecting interest from people who had worked at companies including Vickers, Cammell-Laird, A & P, McTay, James Fisher and Northwestern.

He added: “Many workers who experienced hearing loss while working in extremely noisy environments have simply put up with it.

“Often people suffer in silence and don’t believe they have a right to compensation for the pain and inconvenience caused to them.

“We were able to help more than 100 people after holding similar clinics in the north Midlands in recent months. Compensation levels will vary with clients receiving up to £10,000.”

Hearing experts say any sounds above 80 decibels is considered dangerous and many older people are now suffering from damage caused before current health and safety standards were introduced.

Eighty decibels is about the equivalent of an average alarm clock going off.

“Employees may wrongly believe it is too late to claim compensation,” said Mr Attwood.

“People perhaps don’t realise that even if the damage was caused many years ago they may still be entitled to get help and compensation.

“Our reputation as a leader in the personal injury field is based directly on the relationships we build with our customers.

“We are not simply seeking compensation we are working to give clients the help they deserve and need to put their lives back on track.”

ENDS

For further information contact Ashley Attwood on 0800 587 3231or log on to www.attwoodsolicitors.co.uk.

Notes to Editors:

Attwood Solicitors are personal injury specialists based in Stoke-on-Trent.

More than £2.25 million has been successfully claimed by Attwood Solicitors to help people who have suffered in an accident.

A study published by the Department of Audiology, at Sahigren’s Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, showed only 41.9 per cent of 1,492 shipyard employees examined had “normal hearing.” Link to study summary –http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a789458887