Andrew Dobson, of HGC Engineering, helps companies minimize noise levels at their facilities to reduce workers’ noise exposure. Courtesy of Andrew Dobson

Kentucky coal miner Kyle Lunsford had never looked into why his hearing had dulled. It didn’t stand out at work like his back pain or the breathing difficulties that caused him to hang up his hard hat in 2001, after 37 years in the industry. In 2004, a doctor told him his hearing had diminished by 26 per cent, and it was likely due to his mining career.

Lunsford took his former employer, Manalapan Mining Company Ltd., to court for damages. The company was eventually exonerated on a statute of limitations – Lunsford filed his claim more than two years after his last exposure to workplace noise.