Seeking Benefits for Work-Related Hearing Loss

Posted on Monday August 02, 2021

Many people working on U.S. military bases or other locations overseas are exposed to loud noises and working environments. If you have hearing loss from your job, speak with a Defense Base Act Attorney today. 

We rely on our hearing to navigate everyday life, and damage to your hearing can be life-altering. Even with assistive technology, many people with serious hearing loss have to relearn how to perform their usual tasks, and they might not be able to perform their jobs. Needless to say, hearing loss can be costly in many ways for the rest of your life. 

If you lost your hearing due to working conditions as a United States civilian employee overseas, you should be entitled to benefits to offset the costs of your injury. An experienced Defense Base Act attorney can help after hearing loss injuries and seek the benefits you need. 

Occupational Hearing Loss

The primary cause of occupational hearing loss is exposure to loud noises. Some jobs with a particularly high risk of hearing loss include airport ground maintenance, construction, jobs requiring machinery, and jobs around military operations.

Military bases and other defense operations can be noisy due to aircraft noise, weapons discharging, explosives, heavy vehicle operation, and more. If you worked overseas as a contractor for the U.S., you might have been exposed to loud noises on a regular basis. While many people try to simply “get used to it,” they might be damaging their hearing every time they are exposed. 

Many loud noises above 80 decibels can damage the inner ear, including:

• Large trucks 15 feet away = 90 dB
• Jackhammers three feet away = 120 dB
• Jet engines 100 feet away = 130 dB
• Gunfire = 145 to 150 dB
• A one-ton TNT bomb = 210 dB

Hearing loss can happen over time due to regular exposure to loud noises, or all at once due to an explosion or another close-range event that is particularly loud. 

In the United States, there are regulations that set the maximum noise level for workplaces under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). However, these regulations do not usually apply overseas. In addition, the safety equipment you have access to might not be adequate to protect your ears. You might believe you are protecting yourself from hearing loss when, in reality, you are damaging your inner ear in the course of your regular employment. 

DBA Benefits for Hearing Loss 

After hearing loss as an overseas civilian employee, you would not file a claim with the traditional domestic workers’ compensation system. Instead, the Defense Base Act (DBA) provides benefits for injured workers in this position. You can file a claim to seek:

• The costs of all medical care, including initial diagnostics, specialist appointments, occupational therapy, assistive devices and aids, and more
• Wage replacement if your hearing loss keep you out of work temporarily or for the long term

Speak to a Defense Base Act Attorney about Hearing Loss Injuries

Job-related hearing loss can be difficult to prove, but a Defense Base Act attorney can help you fight for the benefits that you deserve. The team at the Mara Law Firm is ready to help, so please call (619) 234-2833 or contact us online to discuss your situation and your claim today.