Hearing damage compensation made easier

The most recent guidelines issued by the Danish Industrial Injury Agency, (Arbejdsskadestyrelsen) provide comforting news for people who believe that their hearing loss was caused by noise in the workplace.

Five years of employment in a noisy workplace will be sufficient grounds for awarding compensation for hearing loss, according to the revised guidelines. Until recently, the required threshold was 10 years in the same workplace.

The new guidelines extend the benefits beyond people with severe hearing loss to people with moderate hearing loss, as well, if their hearing loss results in problems on a daily basis.

Tinnitus severely affecting an individual also constitutes grounds for compensation.

However, hearing loss may not be found to be work related if the hearing problem:

• arose long after the completion of the noisy work
• was hereditary or due to illness unrelated to the work
• was due to aging

Source: www.hoerelse.info 05.11.2004