Pay-out for deafened Rotherham ex-steelman

A RETIRED Rotherham steelworker who spent years working in noisy workplaces has won more than £4,000 compensation.

Kenneth Clarkson (79), of  Kimberworth, has to wear a hearing aid after being left partly deaf by the noise of cranes and forklift trucks he worked with at JJ Habershon & Sons and by the machinery around him when he worked as a senior warehouseman at Tata Steel.

He was never provided with protective equipment or warned about the effect of noise on his hearing.

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Now workplace injury experts at \!qlawyers Irwin Mitchell have secured him a pay-out of a settlement of £4,710 to cover the cost of his hearing aids and other adaptations he will now need to make in his day-to-day life.

Mr Clarkson, from Kimberworth, said: “The steelworks were very loud, with the steel rollers, conveyors and furnaces producing a lot of noise when we were working with them. “It was quite easy to get used to the constant background noise and I didn’t realise the lasting impact it would have on my hearing.

“Not being able to hear things can be really frustrating, and can be distressing when it keeps happening.”

David Urpeth, the national head of workplace injuries at Irwin Mitchell, said: “This case highlights the importance of health and safety policies and employers have a duty of care to their staff which includes ensuring full protective equipment is provided. The damage done by such loud industrial noise is irreversible, and means that Kenneth and people like him are forced to suffer for the rest of their lives.