Visit to Queen Street Mill, Burnley
As a firm of solicitors who specialise in noise induced hearing loss cases and at the suggestion of one of our clients, I decided to visit the Queen Street Mill in Burnley. This is a working museum showing the conditions and sounds of a weaving shed as it was left in the 1980′s.
We have been representing former textile workers for the past 8 years as we are based in Oldham in what was historically the ‘Weavers Triangle’. Over the years I have almost become desensitised to clients telling me it was noisy and how you couldn’t even shout to be heard.
On a bright sunny Wednesday I headed to the mill. The staff were fantastic and could not help enough, explaining about the mill and the working conditions. I was extremely impressed with how knowledgeable they were.
There was a demonstration in the weaving shed by one of the curators who started a Lancashire loom. Once the steam engine had started driving the overhead shaft system the noise was incredible. With only one loom working the noise exceeded 95dB. The safe limit workers are allowed to work in today without hearing protection is 85dB.
What is incredible is that at its peak there were a 1000 looms operating in the mill. The noise, according to a sign on the wall, could reach 130 dB which was seriously hazardous to health.
After a few minutes my head started to ache and by ten minutes I was feeling psychically unwell with the noise that was assaulting me. How former workers managed in these conditions without hearing protection which was not introduced until the mid 1980′s, I have no idea. The workers even devised their own way of communicating above the din, which was a combination of lip reading and sign language.
To say the visit was an eye opener is an understatement. The noise was literally deafening and my appreciation of how stoic former workers were putting up with such working conditions has increased dramatically.
The sad but true fact is that many employers knew about the dangers of noise dating back to 1963 but never heeded the advice of the Health & Safety Executive to implement hearing protection policies. As a consequence of this, many people are today suffering with damaged hearing and tinnitus.
I do not think I will forget my visit to Queen Street Mill and whenever a client tells me they worked in a noisy textile mill I will have deeper appreciation of the horrendous conditions in which they worked.
I would like to thank the staff for their excellent demonstrations and insight into the mill. I will now be sending all of my disease solicitors on this history field trip.
Visit youtube for a video of one of the looms in action:
