Insurance Companies Urge for Reform of Industrial Deafness Claims

    FILEY, ENGLAND, December 22, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As industrial deafness insurance claims spiral in the UK, insurance companies call for a reform on the noise induced hearing loss compensation system. Pulsar Instruments urge employers to help safeguard the hearing of employees and ultimately their reputation by taking steps to control noise at work.

The number of industrial deafness insurance claims have soared in recent years, leaving employers more exposed than ever to hefty compensation bills. In response to rising claims volumes insurance companies are urging for a reform of the industrial deafness claims system.

In an announcement made in November 2014, the Association of British Insurers urged for fixed fees to be introduced in compensation claims for Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Highlighting startling statistics related to rising industrial deafness claims, James Dalton, Head of liability, spoke of how the number of such claims had risen from 1,000 in March 2012 to 3,500 during the same month in 2014.

Dalton explained that introducing fixed legal fees were required if we were to 'get a grip' on the escalating costs of industrial deafness claims.

"We need to seriously explore if the existing claims portal can be adapted to deal with multi-defendant claims, or if there is a need for a standalone portal for deafness claims to reduce the 17 months that it currently takes to settle a typical industrial deafness claim," said Dalton.

The call for a reform on industrial deafness claims that would include the introduction of fixed fees in the wake of an escalating NIHL claims culture highlights the importance for employers to safeguard the hearing of workers.

In Britain, employers are responsible for the health and safety of workers whilst they are at work. Although some industries are naturally more prone to high levels of noise than others - namely construction and manufacturing - the snowballing NIHL claims culture has seen other more lightweight industries also become exposed to compensation claims.

As Faye Glasspool, director of UK Legacy for the insurance group RSA, states, there is a growing trend for lighter industries such as logistics, food production and textiles, to generate the bulk of the industrial deafness claims.

In a document compiled by Jason Bleasdale, Partner/Member of Hill Dickinson LLP and Andrew Allan, Associate of Hill Dickinson LLP, the lawyers cite data from the Institute of Actuaries. As the document states, there has been a "progressive and significant" increase in the numbers of NIHL claims since 2001 and a steep rise in new industrial deafness claims over the last two years. According to the Institute of Actuaries, there were 50,000 NHIL claims made in 2012 in the UK, a figure which rose to 60,000 in 2013.

The lawyers also cite the costs of industrial deafness claims costing the UK insurance industry GBP70 million per year.

With a rising number of industries being vulnerable to having to pay out significant compensation for claims of industrial deafness, it is more important than ever that employers adopt comprehensive practices to help safeguard the hearing of their workers and protect their company's reputation.

To help ensure your company does not become one of the thousands of firms being caught up in lengthy and costly NIHL claims in the UK each year, download Pulsar's free guide to Controlling Workplace Noise.

This important guide informs employers of their duties under the Noise at Work regulations and steps to follow to safeguard their employees' hearing and quite possibly their business.

Pulsar Instruments Plc was founded 45 years ago. Experts in noise at work measurement instruments, Pulsar has extensive experience in noise at work measurement, noise level measurement and providing reliable and standard-compliant solutions for noise measurement applications.

For more information on the Pulsar noise awareness training courses for 2015 visit www.pulsarinstruments.com or ring one of the team on 01723 5178011.

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