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BT engineer speaks up on hearing risks

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A British Telecom engineer from Sheffield who suffers from a high pitch buzzing in his ears after years of working with faulty equipment is warning others of the risks. Stephen Starosta has now received £7,500 from BT to cover the cost of equipment to help deal with his tinnitus, which can be caused by exposure to excessive noise. The 56-year-old started work for the company as a telephone engineer in 1989. His job involved using BT's 'green set' and 'yellow set' oscillators, devices that transmit a constant high pitched sound through a headset, allowing the user to listen for changes in tone and track faults in telephone cables. Although the telecoms giant has since admitted that the equipment is dangerous and has withdrawn both oscillators from use, Stephen and his lawyers are concerned that other companies, who have been sold the old devices by BT, are still putting workers at risk. Stephen said: 'I only hope my case encourages employers to do all they can to keep workers safe and check tools supplied are fit for purpose. The consequences can be devastating and to know my tinnitus may easily have been avoided is a difficult thought to live with.' Mark Allen, the expert in tinnitus at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors who represented Stephen, said: 'It is vital that employers check their workers are not using these incredibly harmful oscillators to prevent them developing deafness and tinnitus.' Tony Rupa, head of legal services with the Communication Workers' Union (CWU), commented: 'People traditionally associate tinnitus and hearing damage with heavy manufacturing and music industries, but there are many people who work in the communications sector who are exposed to loud, continuous and high pitched noises.' He added that the union 'is assisting around 3,500 members with claims arising from the use of oscillators/amplifiers in their work, many of whom are suffering with tinnitus.'

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release.

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