Hearing loss injuries

The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) uses standard occupational medical guidelines, including those of the American Medical Association, for its decisions about hearing loss injuries. 

Hearing loss is multifactorial and can be caused by many things. Some causes are due to:

• exposure to loud noise (work related and non-work related)
• aging (presbycusis)
• head trauma
• ear infections
• medications
• virus or diseases
• heredity
• malformation of the ear

The WCB accepts claims for occupational noise-induced hearing loss and hearing loss from acoustic trauma when the appropriate criteria have been met.

Noise-induced hearing loss facts

• Only one out of five individuals with more than two years of continuous exposure to noise in excess of 85 dB for eight hours per day may go on to develop noise-induced hearing loss.
• Noise-induced hearing loss develops the fastest in the first 10 to 15 years of exposure. The progression, once established, will slow down.
• The progression of noise-induced hearing loss stops once the noise exposure is removed.
• Hearing loss is sensorineural (affecting the hair cells of the inner ear).
• Damage is bilateral and symmetrical (affecting both ears the same).
• Noise notch is evident in the high frequencies (3,000, 4,000 or 6,000 Hertz) with recovery obtained by 8,000 Hertz.
• Noise notch is not exclusive to noise-induced hearing loss.

Audiograms measure your hearing at low and high frequencies and will identify hearing loss.

The WCB suggests that you get a hearing test when you first start working and at regular periods from then on if you are exposed to occupational noise. It is important to complete a hearing test when you are no longer occupationally noise exposed (that is, retired or had a change in career).