Not all injuries suffered while on a job are catastrophic. However, even those incidents that do not result in devastating injuries can pose problems to the workers who suffer from them. 

While the dangers most commonly associated with Pittsburgh firefighters are probably connected to burns or falls, there is another issue that could impact them and pose problems for the rest of their lives–hearing loss. Though not the first work related injury that probably comes to mind, it is nonetheless a real issue for individuals who have that job.

As a result of suffering permanent hearing loss, four firefighters in Pittsburgh recently filed a civil lawsuit against multiple entities including the companies that manufacture the fire trucks and sirens used each day in their jobs.  The sirens are commonly used to alert other drivers and pedestrians that the fire truck is on its way somewhere, in a hurry. The firefighters who filed the lawsuit have worked in the profession for some time. Three of them began working for the city of Pittsburgh in 1981.

According to a study completed in 2007, across the nation, approximately 40 percent of individuals who work as firefighters could lose hearing as a result of the noise they are constantly exposed to. The damage done is usually irreversible.

The lawsuit recently filed is not the first of its kind. It alleged that the defendants were either aware or should have been aware that the damage inflicted by the sirens was among other things, dangerous and posed a hazard to the hearing of firefighters. 

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Sirens put firefighters at greater risk for hearing loss, experts say," Adam Brandolph,  April 24, 2013