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Tinnitus is often unpleasant. At worst, it is totally debilitating. Awareness about its causes and ways to reduce its effects are improving, but for some tinnitus remains incurable. As such, the message to people with Tinnitus is too often “you have to live with it. It’s only ringing in the ears”.

This is most definitely not the case. Depending on what has caused the tinnitus, you may be entitled to compensation.

Symptoms:

• Noises in the ears may…
• Vary in pitch from a low roar to a high squeal
• Be present in one ear (unilaterally) or both ears (bilaterally)
• Be constant or come and go
• Interfere with concentration or hearing
• Cause sleep disturbance and interference with concentration
• Earwax build up and stress may worsen tinnitus

In order to make a claim for occupational related tinnitus you will require a diagnosis of tinnitus from your doctor. If you have the symptoms of tinnitus make an appointment to see your GP. Your GP may undertake the tests or may refer you to a specialist doctor. It is usual for the doctor to take a complete medical history and undertake a physical exam that will include various tests of your hearing, balance and co-ordination. If you have been diagnosed with industrial deafness and tinnitus as a result of noisy workplace conditions, we can help you.

Even if you have yet to go to the doctors, we can still advise you on whether you have a valid claim.

It is our aim to minimise any further stress and worry for you by ensuring that you receive the compensation that is rightly yours as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

How The Ear Works

The ear is made up of three main sections. The outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear

The Outer Ear
Sounds from the outside world are picked up by the outer ear, which is made up of the pinna and the ear canal. As the sound waves enter the ear, the ear canal serves to increase the loudness of those pitches that make it easier to understand speech. At the same time the ear canal (1) protects another important part of the ear: the eardrum (2) - a flexible, circular membrane that vibrates when touched by sound waves.

The Middle Ear
The sound vibrations continue their journey into the middle ear, which contains three tiny bones called the ossicles (3, 4, 5) (more commonly known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup). These form the bridge from the eardrum into the inner ear. They increase and amplify the sound vibrations even more, before safely transmitting them on to the inner ear via the oval window.

The Inner Ear
The inner ear The inner ear, or cochlea, resembles the circular shell of a snail, and houses a system of tubes that are filled with a watery fluid. As the sound waves pass through the oval window (6), the fluid begins to move, setting tiny hair cells in motion. In turn, these hairs transform the vibrations into electrical impulses that travel along the auditory nerve (9) to the brain itself. Exactly how the brain actually translates these nerve impulses remains a mystery.

How Loud Is “Loud”?

To measure the loudness of sound, a unit of measurement called a decibel (dB) is used.

Sound Reference Chart

0 dB	Rustling Leaves
20 dB	Ticking Watch
30 dB	Quiet Whisper
40 dB	Refrigerator Hum
50 dB	Rainfall
60 dB	Sewing Machine/Conversational Speech
70 dB	Washing Machine
80 dB	Alarm Clock (2ft away)
85 dB	Average Traffic
90 dB	Gas Lawnmower
95 dB	MRI Testing
100 dB	Tractor/Hair Dryer/Subway Train
105 dB	Power Mower/Chainsaw
110 dB	Screaming Child
120 dB	Rock Concert/Ambulance/Thunderclap/td>
130 dB	Jackhammer/Jet Engine (100ft away)
140 dB	Fireworks
165 dB	12 Gauge Shotgun Blast

Noise Exposure Time Limitations
Combinations of noise exposure levels and maximum duration time are expressed in the table below:

90dB	8 Hours
95 dB	4 Hours
100 dB	2 Hours
105dB	1 Hour
110 dB	30 Minutes
115 dB	15 Minutes

Your Employer Must:

• Tell you about the risks, and explain how you can protect your ears.
• Provide ear protectors for you to use and keep them in good working order.
• Make every effort to reduce noise levels as far as possible, by modifying or replacing equipment and maintaining it regularly. Noisy machinery may need to be enclosed so that the sound is muffled.

What Research Is Being Done?
Scientists focusing their research on the mechanisms causing NIHL hope to understand more fully the internal workings of the ear that will result in better prevention and treatment strategies. For example, scientists have discovered that damage to the structure of the hair bundle of the hair cell is related to temporary and permanent loss of hearing. They have found that when the hair bundle is exposed to prolonged periods of damaging sound, the basic structure of the hair bundle is destroyed and the important connections among hair cells are disrupted which directly lead to hearing loss.

Other studies are investigating potential drug therapies that may provide insight into the mechanisms of NIHL. For example, scientists studying altered blood flow in the cochlea are seeking the effect on the hair cells. They have shown reduced cochlear blood flow following exposure to noise. Further research has shown that a drug that promotes blood flow used for treatment of peripheral vascular disease (any abnormal condition in blood vessels outside the heart), maintains circulation in the cochlea during exposure to noise. These findings may lead to the development of treatment strategies to reduce NIHL.

Claiming Compensation for Industrial Deafness
If you believe that you have noise-related hearing problems that you sustained as a result of your work, you may well be entitled to industrial deafness compensation. Under the Noise at Work Regulations 2005, employers have a responsibility to ensure that workers' hearing is not damaged by a noisy workplace.

Is There Treatment?
In most cases, there is no specific treatment for ear and head noise. If your otolaryngologist finds a specific cause of your tinnitus, he or she may be able to eliminate the noise. But, this determination may require extensive testing including X-rays, balance tests, and laboratory work. However, most causes cannot be identified. Occasionally, medicine may help the noise. The medications used are varied, and several may be tried to see if they help. The following list of DO’s and DON’T’s can help lessen the severity of tinnitus:

• Avoid exposure to loud sounds and noises.
• Get your blood pressure checked. If it is high, get your doctor's help to control it.
• Decrease your intake of salt. Salt impairs blood circulation.
• Avoid stimulants such as coffee, tea, cola, and tobacco.
• Exercise daily to improve your circulation.
• Get adequate rest and avoid fatigue.
• Stop worrying about the noise. Recognize your head noise as an annoyance and learn to ignore it as much as possible.

What Can Help Me Cope with Tinnitus?
Concentration and relaxation exercises can help to control muscle groups and circulation throughout the body. The increased relaxation and circulation achieved by these exercises can reduce the intensity of tinnitus in some patients.

Masking
Tinnitus is usually more bothersome in quiet surroundings. A competing sound at a constant low level, such as a ticking clock or radio static (white noise), may mask the tinnitus and make it less noticeable. Products that generate white noise are also available through catalogues and specialty stores.

Hearing Aids
If you have hearing loss, a hearing aid(s) may reduce head noise while you are wearing it and sometimes cause it to go away temporarily. It is important not to set the hearing aid at excessively loud levels, as this can worsen the tinnitus in some cases. However, a thorough trial before purchase of a hearing aid is advisable if your primary purpose is the relief of tinnitus. Tinnitus maskers can be combined within hearing aids. They emit a competitive but pleasant sound that can distract you from head noise. Some people find that a tinnitus masker may even suppress the head noise for several hours after it is used, but this is not true for all users.



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• Nothing to pay
• No deductions from your compensation
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• Talk in plain English, avoiding legal jargon

We help people every day claim compensation following all types of accidents, injuries and illnesses sometimes in the most unusual of circumstances.

Call us on 0800 118 5855 or complete our online form and we'll call you back and tell you straight away whether we think you have a valid case and how you can make a claim.