While it's natural for your hearing to get slowly worse as you age, there are distinct signs that can indicate noise induced hearing loss. These include: Mishearing words when you're in conversation Being unable to hear conversations where there is background noise Having to turn the television up more than others find necessary or needing subtitles Missing out on lots of things your partner tells you in passing If you recognise any of these signs of hearing loss - and believe that your job, or a previous job may be to blame - it's worth asking your GP to arrange a proper hearing test. If you're lucky, you may just have a little wax in the ears. And if not, it may be worth talking to a industrial deafness solicitor about claiming for compensation on a No Win No Fee basis.