Leading trade union UNISON has secured over £5,000 for a member from Yorkshire who suffered work related hearing loss. The compensation was secured with the support of leading personal injury law firm Thompsons Solicitors.

Eric Stonier, from Normanton, West Yorkshire, suffered occupational deafness over a period of several years, working as a butcher for a number of companies in Wakefield and Manchester, including Britt Broadbent and Louis C Edwards.

Marion Voss of Thompsons Solicitors in Leeds, explained: “All claims involving multiple defendants are complicated but in Mr Stonier’s case we succeeded by securing supporting medical evidence from the Ear, Nose and Throat department at Clayton Wakefield Hospital. The audiogram confirmed that Mr Stonier was suffering from noise induced deafness.

“We’re pleased with the level of compensation secured as Mr Stonier’s deafness will affect his future employability. His disability means that employers will know he is deaf and may be unwilling to employ someone with an industrial injury.”

Mr Stonier said: "My deafness has gradually crept up on me. I started to turn the TV on really loud and my wife got fed up repeating what she was saying. As a result she actually made me an appointment with my GP. I now suffer from noises in my ear - like a seashell noise. I notice that in quiet surroundings at night this can delay my sleep. I can suffer from the problem all day.

“Looking back, I can remember how we regularly complained about the saw noises at Broadbent, so much so that it hurt your ears. Originally the saw was electric and the compression of air was even noisier. Everyone complained to management about the noise it made. In addition there were four big fridge vans erected in the ceiling which blew cold air all the time and these were very noisy too.”

Regional head of negotiations for UNISON in Yorkshire and Humberside, Alan Hughes, said: "UNISON is delighted that the case has been decided in Mr Stonier’s favour. Unfortunately over 170,000 people in the UK suffer from deafness or other ear problems due to excessive noise at work. We're very pleased that we've been able to help our member secure the compensation he deserves - our priority now is to ensure that we eliminate the possibility of any recurrence for others.”