Compensation for industrial deafness varies based on several factors. You need to be Eligible to make a claim. If you are, your level of deafness, State, and last day of work impact your entitlements. As a general guide, entitlements range $700 to >$2,000 per 1% of eligible hearing loss. 

Based on recent estimates and available data, average cash compensation claims for industrial deafness in Australia have an approximately value of ~$18,850 in 2023.  

If you have work-related hearing loss, you can use our Entitlement Estimator to get you a more detailed estimate of your potential entitlements. 

About 5,000 claims are made each year, receiving over $40m in total compensation payouts. Free tools like our Eligibility Checker can be used to help figure out likely eligibility and entitlements for those who haven’t claimed. 

You might be eligible for industrial deafness compensation if you have hearing loss from working in a noisy job in Australia. About 5,000 claims are made each year, receiving over $40m in total compensation payouts. Complete our Eligibility Checker and we’ll let you know if you’re eligible for our claims management and No Win No Fee support to make a claim and potentially of your own 

The exact % of hearing loss needed to access compensation depends on several factors, particularly the State your noisy work was based in.

Many people have sufficient hearing loss to receive IHL compensation — you don’t have to be completely ‘deaf’. Use our Eligibility Checker or our Hearing Loss Guidance to get a better idea of levels of hearing damage. 

Different people can sustain hearing loss more or less easily than others. However, in general, people have some level of hearing loss after extended exposure to around 85db. 

We recommend seeing a hearing specialist to determine whether you have hearing loss. 

As a guide, 85db is about the same as a: 

• Garbage truck 
• Dishwasher 
• Factory floor
• Diesel truck at 60kph 
• Milling machine 
• Food blender 
• Train (15 metres away) 
• Car wash (~10 metres away)  

Other common noises are much louder, like a:

• Boat’s outboard engine 
• Jackhammer 
• Lawn mower  
• chainsaw
• Garbage truck
• Aircraft 
• And lots of other heavy machinery in things like construction, manufacturing, and mining  

See our Hearing Loss Guidance for more information. 

To make a claim for industrial deafness or hearing loss compensation, you generally need to file a claim in relation to your injury. 

Lawyers can generally help you with this process. 

You can use our online Eligibility Check  to determine whether you’re likely to be able to make a claim, and put you in touch with suitable lawyers. 

Yes, 100% – they’re government schemes! A combination of new laws, policies and government rules have unlocked this route to getting effectively compensated for work-related hearing damage. We think it’s great people are getting properly compensated, and we want to make sure every day Aussies can access them.

Potentially, yes. There are generally time limits that apply to making claims; however, there are also some exceptions. We’d suggest getting in touch with a lawyer to discuss this. 

You can also use our Eligibility Checker and we can help find a suitable law firm to help you.  

Potentially, yes. Most State industrial hearing loss schemes have centralised insurers, and a workplace no longer existing generally won’t stop eligible workers making a claim. 

Free tools like this Eligibility Checker can help you geet more info. 

It depends. A fairly high proportion of claims are successful, but there can be quite a lot of work that goes into reaching an outcome — e.g. audiologists, ENT doctors, legal and claim specialists may support claims. 

Not everyone is eligible to claim, and not everyone is entitled to hearing aids and cash compensation. In our experience, people who are eligible and have higher estimated entitlements (e.g. higher levels of potential cash compensation) are more likely to receive a settlement, payout, or court outcome in their favour. This means initial estimates such as hearing checks, tools like this Eligibility Checker, and getting legal advice can give you a good idea of how likely your claim is to be successful.  

Industrial deafness usually refers to hearing loss sustained from long-term exposure to noise from work. 

Eligible workers who have deafness caused by working in noisy environments may be able to claim compensation. To see if you may be an eligible worker, use our free Eligibility Checker.

Eligible workers who have deafness caused by working in noisy environments may be able to claim compensation for industrial deafness. The first step in making a claim is to figure out if you’re eligible, and what your entitlements might be. You can do this using tools like our free Eligibility Checker and/or getting legal advice. 

If you meet the requirements, you can lodge a claim through a lawyer, or directly. 

There are lots of different industrial hearing services available to people who have suffered industrial hearing loss. These can include hearing aids, treatment and hearing management strategies, and cash compensation. 

To find out whether you could get access to various industrial hearing services to support your hearing loss, you should first find out if you’re eligible to make a claim. 

Industrial deafness in Australia is a growing medical condition, as many Australian workers are exposed to high levels of noisy in their work, causing long term deafness. 

State governments have insurance schemes which can provide compensation for this hearing loss. 

Industrial deafness compensation payments are made to compensate people who have hearing loss from working in noisy jobs. 

Compensation can include hearing aids, treatment and cash compensation.