Former steelworker wins hearing loss settlement

A retired steelworker who said he has been left with significant hearing loss from exposure to loud factory machines has received a settlement of £6,000.

Ronald Siddle, 72, from Sheffield, was awarded compensation from his former employers Shepcote Rolling Mills Ltd and Avesta Sheffield.

He said conditions at the factories, which he started working in as a teenager, were "painfully noisy" and had left him dependent on hearing aids.

"I want other workers who have suffered from hearing damage to come forward and hopefully get some due compensation from the people who are liable," he said.

When he worked at Shepcote from 1969 to 1983, Mr Siddle said one cutting machine was so loud that all other work was paused and employees evacuated the area until the 20-minute-long process was complete.

This happened two or three times per day, but no ear protection was issued to workers, despite sound levels exceeding 130 decibels, he said.

"I had probably 10 machines in my immediate area: lathes, drills, fabs, power saws - it was painfully noisy," said Mr Siddle.

Both factories have since closed, but the settlement was secured out of court from their insurers from that period and company TATA Steel, Mr Siddle's solicitor said.

Mr Siddle visited an audiologist, who said he had some work-related hearing damage.

He said his hearing "now isn't what it should be".

"Simple pleasures like watching TV are gone now, as I have trouble understanding it which isn't solved by turning up the volume," he said.

"If my wife is talking to me from more than a few metres away, I can only hear a mumble, so it takes much longer to communicate information back and forth."

He added there were "thousands of other men" who worked alongside him and may have also developed hearing loss.

"In every industry, businesses need to protect their employees and do what they can to ensure their wellbeing," he said.

Faraz Fazal, managing partner at Veritas Solicitors, respresenting Mr Siddle, said: "Ronald spent decades giving his all to the steel industry, and the least he deserved in return was protection.

"Ronald's story is a powerful reminder that no one should be left to suffer in silence, and that employers must be held accountable when they fail to protect their workers."

TATA Steel has been contacted for comment.

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