Eircom could face deafness claims

HEARING-impaired telephone operators are considering legal action against Eircom.

The State, which sold off the former Telecom company, could also face mass litigation cases for hearing damage by former employees.

One worker yesterday said the litigation could be compared to the army deafness cases, expected to cost the State around €300 million.

Concerned Eircom staff yesterday demanded the full backing of the Communications Workers Union. The National Association for Deaf People has reportedly been in contact with Eircom about the issue.

One exchange worker said yesterday he was in the process of seeking legal advice. The 41-year-old operator, who asked not to be named, said a private otology test showed his hearing was similar to someone of 56 years of age suffering from natural hearing loss.

An Eircom spokesman confirmed the company was facing legal action. “There’s one individual case and, subject to legal proceedings, we cannot comment further,” he said.

Staff insisted, however, there could be large-scale litigation.

An employee at the Dublin exchange claimed that a “high number” of current employees have regularly complained to the company about increasing hearing loss.

“Under current legislation, eye tests are compulsory for people working with computers. Eircom honours that agreement but refuses to contribute to the cost of operators requiring otology tests,” the worker said.

“We believe that our current employer and former employer are aware for more years than we can remember of the high risk of hearing loss to operators exposed to constant noise.

“In the army deafness cases, soldiers were subjected to noise on firing ranges several times a year. However, most telephone operators are, or have been, subjected to daily noise levels for 20 years and more.”

British Telecom, meanwhile, was forced in recent years to pay nearly €20 million in out-of-court settlements for hearing loss cases.

The unnamed Eircom operator said yesterday that preliminary legal advice suggested that former workers, including those that received severance packages, were eligible to take actions for hearing loss.

He also claimed that Eircom was currently putting pressure on operators to handle more calls. “We used to have four computer breaks but management reduced that to three breaks in the Dublin office. There’s currently a competition between exchanges in Marlborough Street (Dublin), Tralee and Mullingar to pressurise them into taking more calls.”