Industrial disease
Workplace hearing loss and tinnitus claims in Scotland
Years of noise in shipyards, engineering, manufacturing or offshore work can leave permanent damage. If your employer did not protect your hearing, you may be able to claim compensation, including the cost of hearing aids.
In short
Can I claim for industrial hearing loss in Scotland?
Yes, if your hearing loss or tinnitus was caused by noise at work and your employer did not do enough to protect you. You usually have three years from when you first knew your hearing problem was linked to your work. You can still claim if the employer has closed, because the claim is made against their insurer.
Last reviewed · General information, not legal advice
- Time limit
- 3 years from when you knew of the link to work
- Evidence
- An independent hearing test (audiogram)
- Closed employer
- Their insurer can usually be traced
- Tinnitus
- Can be claimed with or without hearing loss
- Funding
- No win, no fee available
Former employers
Holding past employers to account
Many people in Scotland spent years in heavy industry working in loud conditions without ear defenders, noise screening or regular hearing tests.
Noise-induced hearing loss and industrial tinnitus are permanent. Employers have long had a duty at common law to protect workers from harmful noise, and regulations have set specific requirements: today the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require hearing protection to be provided and worn where daily exposure reaches 85 dB(A).
If the factory, yard or workshop where you worked has since closed, you may still be able to claim. We search for the employer’s insurer through the Employers’ Liability Tracing Office (ELTO) and other historical records.
The audiogram: showing noise damage
Noise damage often leaves a recognisable pattern on a hearing test, a dip around 4kHz known as a noise notch. If your claim goes ahead, we arrange an assessment with an independent audiologist to establish whether your hearing loss is linked to noise at work rather than age-related loss (presbycusis).
Where it happens
Industries where noise damage is common
If you worked in loud conditions in any of these industries, it is worth asking whether you have a claim.
Shipbuilding and ship repair
Boilermakers, welders, platers, fitters and caulkers in yards on the Clyde and at Rosyth, working with pneumatic chipping, riveting and hammering.
Oil, gas and fabrication
Offshore drill crews, mechanics and fabrication yard workers exposed to turbines, generators, compressors and drilling equipment.
Steel and heavy engineering
Foundry workers, machine tool fitters, drop-forge operators and steelworkers using presses, hammers and grinders.
Textiles and mills
Loom operators, spinners and mill workers in jute, wool and cotton mills, where weaving machinery ran all shift.
Rail, construction and quarrying
Track maintenance crews, plant drivers, breaker and drill operators and quarry workers exposed to repeated loud noise.
Timber, sawmills and paper
Sawmill and paper mill workers operating saws, chippers and processing lines for long periods.
Call centres and headset work
A sudden loud noise through a headset can cause acoustic shock: tinnitus, pain or sensitivity to sound. Employers should use equipment that limits sound levels.
Symptoms
Do any of these sound familiar?
Many people put hearing loss down to getting older. If you worked in a noisy environment, the cause may be your work.
Ringing, buzzing or whistling (tinnitus)
A high-pitched tone or hiss in one or both ears, often most noticeable at night or in a quiet room.
Difficulty following conversation
Struggling to pick out words in a busy room, at family gatherings, or with the television on in the background.
The television is always too loud for others
Needing the television or radio louder than other people in the house find comfortable.
Missing high-pitched sounds
Speech sounding muffled, or missing the doorbell, the phone, or children’s voices.
If any of these apply to you, talk to us. We can tell you whether a claim is likely to be worth pursuing.
Ask about a claimQuestions
Hearing loss claim questions
Straight answers to what people ask us about these claims.
Can I claim for hearing loss from a job I left years ago?
Yes. Noise-induced hearing loss often only becomes noticeable years after the exposure. The three-year time limit usually runs from when you first knew, or should reasonably have known, that your hearing problem was connected to noise at work, not from when you left the job.
What if my old employer has closed down?
You can usually still claim. Employers have been required to hold employers’ liability insurance since 1972, and the claim is made against the insurer that covered the business while you worked there. Insurers can be traced through the Employers’ Liability Tracing Office and company records.
Do I need a hearing test?
Yes. If the claim goes ahead we arrange an independent assessment with an audiologist or ear, nose and throat specialist. Noise damage typically shows as a dip in hearing around 4 kHz on an audiogram, often called a “noise notch”, which helps separate it from age-related hearing loss.
Can I claim for tinnitus on its own?
Yes. Tinnitus caused by noise at work can be claimed whether or not you also have measurable hearing loss.
My hearing is also worse because of my age. Can I still claim?
Yes. Most people with noise damage also have some age-related loss. Medical experts can assess how much of your hearing loss is due to noise, and compensation is based on that part.
What noise levels should my employer have protected me from?
Employers have been expected to protect workers from damaging noise since at least the 1960s. Specific regulations have applied since 1989. Under the current Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, employers must provide hearing protection at 80 dB(A) and make sure it is worn at 85 dB(A).
Talk to us
Not sure if you have a claim? Ask. It costs nothing.
Tell us what happened and we will give you an honest view of your options under Scots law. There is no obligation to go any further.