Vision Loss & Hearing Loss

Your job should not cause you to lose your vision or hearing. Yet every year an estimated 30 million people in the United States are exposed to excessive noise in workplaces and thousands of workers annually are blinded by workplace injuries, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Workers in Massachusetts who sustain workplace injuries affecting their vision or hearing are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical bills and other expenses.

Serious workplace injuries that lead to vision loss or hearing loss may lead to permanent incapacity or may require vocational retraining, another benefit provided by the workers’ compensation system. Even after a serious workplace injury that causes vision loss or hearing loss, an injured worker may have difficulty getting their full workers’ compensation benefits without legal assistance.

Injured on the Job? Contact Our Workplace Accident Lawyers

If you have suffered vision loss or hearing loss as a result of your employment, you should talk to an experienced Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorney about the benefits you are entitled to receive, including lost wages, medical expenses and vocational rehabilitation costs.

For a free case evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online or call us toll free at 800-367-0871. The experienced workers’ compensation attorneys at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., have more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of individuals injured in the course of their employment.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., help injured workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth or Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.

What Jobs Cause Vision Loss and Hearing Loss Workplace Injuries?

Every day, an estimated 2,000 workers in the U.S. sustain workplace injuries to the eyes that require medical treatment, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 100 of these workplace injuries result in one or more days of missed work.

Many jobs carry the potential risk of workplace injury to the eyes. Workplace safety standards require employers to provide workers with suitable eye protection. Jobs that expose workers to flying particles, sparks, tools, chemicals and falling objects pose a particular risk of vision loss if workers are not wearing proper fitting eye protection. Flying slivers of metal, glass or wood chips may penetrate the eyeball and cause vision loss. A construction worker can be struck in the eye by a nail from a nail gun. Approximately 40 percent of workers who had eye injuries are mechanics, carpenters, plumbers and industrial equipment operators, according to recent federal labor data. About one fifth of workers who experienced workplace injuries to their eyes were laborers. Welders and welders’ assistants may be exposed to UV radiation or welder’s flash that routinely damages workers’ eyes and may lead to vision loss.

Janitors, cleaners, maintenance workers, industrial workers and laboratory workers may suffer eye injuries from splashes of chemicals or cleaning products. Vision loss may create permanent disability and leave a worker unable to perform their job.

Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common workplace injuries. It occurs when loud noises damage the delicate sensory hair cells of the inner ear and auditory nerve. When enough hairs cells are damaged, hearing loss occurs. Hearing loss usually occurs gradually over a long period of time from prolonged exposure to high noise levels. Prolonged exposure to noise levels above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss.

Employers are responsible for providing safe and healthy workplaces to prevent workplace injuries such as hearing loss. Yet workers in industries that have high noise levels have higher risk for hearing loss. Industries with high numbers of workers who incur hearing loss injuries include agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, utilities, and the military. Approximately 44 percent of carpenters have hearing loss, and half of plumbers have hearing loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Cement workers who use pneumatic chippers to remove residue inside cement truck mixer drums are exposed to excessive loud noise. Employers are required to furnish ear protection and require employees such as construction workers and airport baggage handlers who work around jet engines to wear ear protection to prevent workplace injuries.

What Workers’ Compensation Disability Benefits Are Available?

Vision loss or hearing loss can incapacitate a worker temporarily or leave them unable to return to work, requiring lifestyle adaptation and job retraining. You may be eligible for temporary total disability, partial disability or permanent and total disability benefits as a result of sensory loss resulting from a workplace injury. Employee’s workers’ compensation benefits are determined by several factors including average weekly wage and degree of incapacity from a workplace injury. A knowledgeable Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorney can review your vision loss workplace injury and advise you about which benefits you may collect.

Why You Need a Workers’ Compensation Attorney

The Massachusetts workers’ compensation system is set up to ensure that employers have insurance to cover employees who are injured or disabled by workplace injuries, including vision loss and hearing loss. All employees have legal rights to workers’ compensation for work-related injuries. And yet, employees often have trouble getting their fair compensation for a workers’ compensation claim, even after loss of eyesight or hearing loss. The insurance company may deny your vision loss or hearing loss was a workplace injury.

At the hearing to decide your workers’ compensation claim, the workers’ compensation insurance company will have legal representation. You should, too. You should have an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer standing up for your legal rights to full compensation for a debilitating sensory loss.

Contact Our Workplace Injury Lawyers Today

While many Massachusetts lawyers practice in a number of different areas of the law, the workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., concentrate exclusively in the area of workers’ compensation. Our experienced workers’ compensation attorneys have more than 20 years of experience in all types of workplace injury cases — and we can help you.

We believe in a hands-on approach, providing individual attention to each and every client. We do not pass off cases to other Massachusetts law firms or to junior associates. A client will have the same attorney handling his or her claim from start to conclusion.

Our workplace accident attorneys believe strongly that all clients should be well educated with respect to the laws and that they should be active participants in all facets of their workers’ compensation claim. We are ready to answer workplace injury questions from workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth or Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.

For a free, no-obligation evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online. The workers’ compensation lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates are here to help victims of workplace injuries. You may also call us toll free at 800-367-0871.