Two-year limit set on filing hearing-loss claims By John Wolcott, Snohomish County Business Journal
“Some labor unions are notifying their members, but I don’t think most workers are aware of it,” he said. “Hearing instruments will still be covered, but the monetary compensation claims will be limited to that two-year window.”
Unfortunately, he said, most workers with hearing losses don’t have hearing exams or consider hearing instruments until their family or friends have complained about their hearing problems for years.
For construction workers, the new law could have a significant impact. The highest incidences of hearing loss are associated with their industry. Nationally, hearing-loss claims linked to construction noise have risen nearly 40 percent over the past decade, according to statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.