Sharp rise in deafness claims

In the last few years the number of deafness claims made on commercial insurance policies has been rocketing.

In 2012 alone, AXA Business Insurance saw a year on year rise of 75% in the number of deafness claims and had more claims for deafness than any other type of workplace injury or illness. The company attributes the rise as a primary reason for an overall increase of over 30% in Employer Liability claims.

According to HSE statistics, around one million people in Great Britain are exposed to levels of noise that could affect their hearing. Current Control of Noise regulations require all employers to provide protection in any working environment where decibel levels exceed 85.

David Williams, Managing Director, Underwriting, AXA Insurance commented: "We would urge employers to be really thorough in ensuring employees are provided with proper protection and that using it correctly is robustly enforced.  By doing this they can help us nip this growing problem in the bud before it starts impacting on their bottom line."

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