Millions of Americans suffer from tinnitus, which is the chronic ringing, buzzing, or hissing of the ears. It’s a small irritation for many. However, it develops into a chronic and incapacitating condition for others, particularly those who are exposed to noisy workplaces or abrupt noise trauma. You may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if your job is causing you to suffer from tinnitus.
Table of Contents
- What Is Tinnitus?
- Common Causes Associated with the Workplace Tinnitus
- The Effects of Tinnitus on Employees’ Lives
- The Difficulties of Making a Tinnitus Claim
- How to Handle Tinnitus Associated with Your Job
- Employees at Highest Risk for Tinnitus
- Suffered Hearing Loss While Working? Contact Us!
- Sources
What Is Tinnitus?
Perception of sound in the absence of external sound is known as tinnitus. Frequently characterized as ear ringing, it can also manifest as:
- The buzzing
- Clicking
- A hissing sound
- Soaring
- High-pitched voices
Tinnitus can vary in intensity and be either continuous or sporadic. The disease can deteriorate with time and cause sleep difficulties, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and even depression in many individuals, especially those in noisy industries.
Common Causes Associated with the Workplace Tinnitus:
Although occupational circumstances do not necessarily cause tinnitus, they frequently play a significant role. The following are the most frequent reasons at work:
1. Extended Loud Noise Exposure
Workers in sectors like manufacturing, entertainment, transportation, and construction are frequently subjected to loud noises for prolonged periods. Tinnitus and Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) can result from prolonged exposure, even with ear protection.
2. Unexpected Acoustic Injury
Ear injury can occur instantly from a sudden loud incident, such as a blast, gunfire, or mechanical backfire. Law enforcement, demolition, first responders, and military personnel are particularly vulnerable.
3. Exposure to Vibration
Repeated vibration can have an indirect effect on the auditory system in businesses where workers utilize vibrating tools (such as drills, jackhammers, and chainsaws).
4. Neck and Head Trauma
Head or neck trauma, such as whiplash or falls at work, can cause nerve damage that causes tinnitus.
5. Ototoxic Chemicals
Some chemicals used in the workplace, such as heavy metals, solvents, and asphyxiants, are known to be ototoxic, which means they can harm the inner ear. Jobs involving chemical processing, cleaning, and manufacturing might expose workers.
The Effects of Tinnitus on Employees’ Lives
Tinnitus is not merely a sound. Your quality of life may be greatly impacted, particularly if treatment is not received. Typical signs and outcomes include:
- Sleep disruptions
- An increase in tension and agitation
- Inability to concentrate or communicate
- Increased auditory sensitivity (hyperacusis)
- Depression, anxiety, or emotional discomfort
Your capacity to carry out your work, uphold relationships, and keep a healthy lifestyle may be hampered by these symptoms.
The Difficulties of Making a Tinnitus Claim
Claims for tinnitus are occasionally rejected, not because the ailment isn’t severe but rather because it might be challenging to establish a work-related cause. Tinnitus is subjective, and diagnostic testing doesn’t always yield definitive answers, unlike a visual injury.
Common Problems:
- Since tinnitus is based on self-reported symptoms, no single test can verify it.
- Employers or insurance companies may claim that non-work-related causes, such as aging, loud music, or recreational gun use, were the cause of the tinnitus.
- The claim may get more complex if there are time intervals between exposure and diagnosis.
For this reason, it is crucial to engage with a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer. A lawyer can support you in obtaining medical evaluations, gathering documentation, and arguing for your right to compensation.
Jobs for People with Tinnitus: Finding a Career that Matches Your Strengths
How to Handle Tinnitus Associated with Your Job
Here are some actions you should take right now if you think your employment is related to your tinnitus:
Inform Your Employer of the Condition
Record and report the tinnitus as soon as you can, even if it initially appears to be small. Your claim may be compromised if you report something too late.
Consult a Medical Expert
An ENT or audiologist can do hearing tests and determine how severe your tinnitus is. For diagnosis and documentation, this stage is essential.
Commence a Paper Trail
Maintain a thorough log of your symptoms, doctor’s appointments, occupational noise exposure, and any discussions you have with your employer.
Prevent Additional Noise Exposure
Until your doctor gives the all-clear, use hearing protection, ask for safer work responsibilities, and stay away from noisy recreational activities.
Speak with a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
It can be daunting to navigate the system by yourself. You can fight for your rights and develop a strong case with the assistance of a knowledgeable lawyer.
Employees at Highest Risk for Tinnitus
Your chance of developing tinnitus may be considerably increased if you work in any of the following occupations:
- Building and tearing down
- Metalworking and manufacturing
- Ground personnel at airports and in aviation
- Law enforcement and firefighting
- Entertainment (sound engineers, musicians)
- Contracting for the military or defense
- Drilling for oil and mining
Tinnitus can occur in office workers as well if they are exposed to malfunctioning HVAC systems, alarms, or accidents at work.
Suffered Hearing Loss While Working? Contact Us!
The Workers’ Compensation Program was established in 1911 to encourage employers to make the workplace safer by requiring safety programs and the use of safety devices. Since 1911, there have been over 2.5 million workers’ compensation claims filed. Hearing loss workers’ compensation claims now rank #3 in the number of occupational disease claims filed.
Hearing loss workers’ compensation benefits are largely undiscovered benefits covering hearing health care, which is often uninsured. Many health insurance policies and programs, like Medicare, do not cover hearing aid purchases, but workers’ compensation can. It also pays for the disability of hearing loss, just as it does for the loss of eyesight or other injuries.
Aging populations, advances in technology, and greater sensitivity to hearing loss are bringing more attention to financing hearing health care. For the most part, those who qualify for hearing loss workers’ compensation benefits are retired hearing-impaired workers who live on fixed incomes.
Always feel free to ask Johnson Law Offices about the process, the law, or an individual case. The legal, medical, and audiometric questions that come into play in a hearing loss workers’ compensation claim can be complicated.
