Swindon rail worker wins ^8,500 hearing loss payout

bobm

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Swindon rail worker wins ^8,500 hearing loss payout

« on: January 08, 2014, 18:24:39 »

From the BBC^» British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Quote

A former railway worker from Swindon has been awarded ^8,500 in compensation after he became deaf following years of exposure to heavy noise at work.

Aubrey Akers, 72, was employed at British Rail's Swindon works, where up to 300 machines were operating at once, between 1956 and 1973.

Workers also had to contend with the sound of riveting and hammering.

His solicitors said employees were not provided with ear defenders or warned about the dangers of excessive noise.

Brigitte Chandler, of law firm Charles Lucas and Marshall, said the settlement figure was based on medical evidence detailing the severity of Mr Akers' hearing loss.

The Department for Transport said: "We do not comment on individual cases. However, where liability exists it is our policy to settle such claims as quickly and fairly as possible."

Mr Akers was unavailable for comment,


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Chris from Nailsea

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Re: Swindon rail worker wins ^8,500 hearing loss payout

« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2014, 00:45:59 »

Pardon?

On a slightly more serious note: my own father has difficulty in hearing today, due to his years of flying in the RAF^▸ without any of the modern 'PPE^▸ ' in those days - and I have some hearing impairment myself, due possibly to repeated gunfire (it's a long story Tongue

).

It's worth considering that the effects of such 'industrial injuries' may only become apparent many years later - there is perhaps, in such examples, a case for the sometimes maligned 'health and safety' people to be heard today?


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William Huskisson MP^▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.

trainer

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Re: Swindon rail worker wins ^8,500 hearing loss payout

« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2014, 22:34:40 »

When I see the conditions and working methods used in Swindon in the Steam museum I don't know whether to laugh or be horrified. No eye or ear protection, good boots if you could afford them and molten metal moving around while men are riveting only feet away. Un-Healthy and Danger gone mad.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the railway industry was no different from all the other heavy industries that we had. I wonder if a lot more people might claim for injuries dating way back. I make no judgement of them if they do from my very comfortable and healthy retirement.


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