Sheffield steelworker wins £6,000 compensation after job left him with lifelong hearing loss

Ronald Siddle, aged 72, spent most of his working life on the factory floors of Shepcote Rolling Mills Ltd and Avesta Sheffield, where relentless exposure to heavy machinery without ear protection led to the irreversible loss of his hearing.

Now retired and living in Sheffield, Ronald spoke candidly about the impact of years spent in extreme noise environments.

“I had probably 10 machines in my immediate area - lathes, drills, fabs, power saws. It was painfully noisy,” he said.

“My hearing now isn’t what it should be - if my wife is talking to me from more than a few metres away, I can only hear a mumble.”

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At Shepcote, where Ronald worked as an engineer from 1969 to 1983, one specific cutting machine was so loud - exceeding 130 decibels - that staff had to be evacuated from the area every time it ran.

Despite the risks, no ear defenders were provided, even though the machine was used two to three times a day.

Simple pleasures like watching TV are no longer the same for Ronald.

“I have trouble understanding TV which isn’t solved by turning up the volume,” he explained.

It wasn’t until he was approached by Veritas Solicitors, a Manchester-based law firm specialising in industrial disease cases, that Ronald sought a professional opinion.

An audiologist confirmed that his hearing loss was consistent with long-term noise exposure at work.

Shepcote Rolling Mills Ltd and Avesta Sheffield no longer exist but Veritas successfully traced the companies’ insurers and secured the settlement.

He now hopes to encourage others in Sheffield and beyond who worked in similar conditions to come forward.

He said: “There were thousands of other men who worked with me, I want other workers who have suffered from hearing damage to come forward and hopefully get some due compensation.”

Faraz Fazal, Managing Partner at Veritas Solicitors, added: “Ronald spent decades giving his all to the steel industry, and the least he deserved in return was protection.

“This is a powerful reminder that no one should be left to suffer in silence, and that employers must be held accountable when they fail to protect their workers.”