When someone mentions a work injury, you probably picture something dramatic. A fall. An explosion. Maybe getting crushed by equipment. But what if I told you that some of the most devastating workplace injuries happen so slowly you don’t even notice them until it’s too late? That’s exactly what happens with hearing loss on oil rigs. Day after day, shift after shift, the noise damages your ears. And you’re entitled to workers’ compensation for it.
Oil Fields Are Incredibly Loud
Walk onto any drilling site and you’ll immediately understand what I mean. The noise is relentless. Drilling equipment screams. Compressors roar. Pneumatic tools hammer away. Heavy machinery rumbles constantly in the background. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anything above 85 decibels can cause permanent hearing damage if you’re exposed long enough. Most oil field operations? They’re running between 95 and 110 decibels. Every single day.
The Problem Sneaks Up On You
Here’s what makes hearing loss so insidious. It doesn’t hurt. There’s no sudden moment where you realize something’s wrong. You just start asking people to repeat themselves more often. The TV gets a little louder. You miss parts of conversations in noisy environments.
New Mexico Recognizes Gradual Workplace Injuries
Good news, though. You don’t need to identify a specific accident date to file a workers’ compensation claim for hearing loss. New Mexico law covers occupational diseases and injuries that develop over time. What you do need to prove is pretty straightforward. Your job caused your hearing damage, or it made existing problems significantly worse. A New Mexico Oil Field Accident Lawyer can help you build that case with medical evaluations, hearing tests, and documentation of workplace noise levels.
Different Types Of Hearing Damage All Qualify
There’s more than one way oil field work destroys your hearing:
- Chronic noise-induced hearing loss from constant equipment exposure
- Tinnitus, that endless ringing in your ears that won’t stop
- Acoustic trauma from sudden blasts or equipment failures
- Partial loss in one ear or total loss in both
Even if you had some hearing issues before you started working in oil fields, you can still file a claim. If your job made things worse, that counts.
Reporting Timelines Work Differently
Remember that 15-day reporting rule for sudden accidents? Hearing loss claims don’t always follow that same timeline. Since the injury develops gradually, the clock usually starts when you actually become aware of the problem and its connection to your work. Maybe that’s when a doctor tells you it’s occupational hearing loss. Or when you fail a company hearing test. But don’t wait forever. Insurance companies love to argue that any delay means your hearing loss came from somewhere else. Maybe aging. Maybe you went to too many concerts. The sooner you report and file, the stronger your position.
What You Can Actually Get
Medical coverage comes first. That means hearing tests, evaluations, hearing aids, and any treatment you need going forward. If your hearing loss affects your ability to do your job, disability benefits come into play. How much depends on how bad the impairment is and what it does to your earning capacity. New Mexico uses a rating system for hearing loss. An audiologist tests your hearing at different frequencies. Those results get converted into a percentage of permanent impairment, which directly affects your compensation.
Insurance Companies Will Fight You
They almost always challenge hearing loss claims. You’ll hear all sorts of arguments. “It’s just aging.” “You didn’t wear your hearing protection properly.” “Maybe it came from hunting or motorcycles or loud music.” They’ll dispute how severe your condition really is. They’ll question whether it happened at work. They’ll do whatever they can to pay you less or deny your claim entirely. At Davie & Valdez P.C., we’ve been handling these exact fights for over 35 years. We know how to document hearing loss claims properly. We work with medical professionals who understand occupational hearing damage. And we know every argument the insurance companies are going to make before they even make them.
Don’t just accept it as part of the job or getting older. Your hearing loss might qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, and those benefits can cover significant medical costs and lost wages. A New Mexico Oil Field Accident Lawyer can look at your specific situation and explain exactly what options you have for getting the compensation you’re entitled to receive.