Welcome to HRAC Solicitors
We are a legal firm that specialises in representing clients who have suffered deafness through exposure to noise in the workplace – industrial deafness.
Having more than 25 years of experience in this niche area of workers’ comp provides our team with a great advantage. Our practice covers several states & jurisdictions in Australia, and we’re still growing.
What is Industrial Deafness
Industrial deafness also referred to as a noise-induced hearing loss or occupational deafness is a condition that results in a gradual deterioration of hearing as a consequence of prolonged and repeated exposure to excessive noise in a working environment.
Industrial deafness symptoms:
- Hearing difficulties for a few hours at the end of a noisy workday
- Missing conversation amongst background noise
- Confusion where sounds derive from
- Hardships hearing speech coming from the television or radio and require the volume to be turned up above an average listening level
- Difficulty understanding speech through the telephone clearly
- Often missing the telephone or doorbell ringing
- Experiencing ringing sensation or noise in your ears (tinnitus)
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition which is usually experienced as the perception of sounds (ringing or buzzing) in the ears or head which has no outside source. It can be continuous or intermittent and can have multiple components to the perceived sound.
What causes Tinnitus?
Several factors can cause tinnitus, including middle ear infections, but the primary cause of tinnitus is exposure to noise.
Up to 20% of Australian’s suffer from tinnitus to some extent.
For many people, it manifests as a mild annoyance, but for some, the tinnitus is chronic & severe.
Severe tinnitus can disturb sleep & significantly interrupt a person’s life, leading to anxiety and depression in some cases.
How to treat Tinnitus?
Many treatments are considered in addressing the symptoms of tinnitus; one of them focused on treating the underlying neurological root cause. This product is TGA & FDA approved and according to clinical trials has resulted in significant & consistent improvements in tinnitus distress & the impact on patient’s quality of life.
For more information, please refer to the Neuromonics website: www.neuromonics.com
How can we help you?
- Lump-sum payments for permanent impairment
- Reimbursement of medical expenses including hearing aids
Even if the exposure to excessive noise levels may have taken place many years ago, you may still be eligible to claim. It should also not matter if you had worked for several employers, some of which may no longer be in business.
What should I do?
If there’s a possibility that you have suffered deafness partly as a result of your work, we recommend that you seek independent legal advice.