Two ferry workers sue, say work ruined their hearing - Seattlepi.com

By VANESSA HO
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Two longtime ferry workers have sued the state, alleging they were exposed to unsafe noise levels that led to hearing loss while working in the engine rooms of different vessels.

George Greenwood, a chief engineer currently assigned to the Hyak, and Christopher Johnson, a relief chief engineer assigned to different ferries, have measurable hearing damage after working for Washington State Ferries for more than a decade, said their attorney, Rob Williamson.

Williamson said the lawsuits, filed last month in King County Superior Court, are part of a larger pattern of complaints alleging work-related hearing damage among ferry workers. He said he has filed 180 such lawsuits since 1998 against the state Department of Transportation, which runs the ferries.

While the state has improved its protection of workers' hearing, it hasn't been enough to protect everyone, Williamson said.

"Even when you do all that you can, this is such a noisy environment that people can get hurt," he said.

The workers most at risk are the engineers and oilers who work in the control and engine rooms. Williamson said the state begin mandating hearing exams for the workers several years ago, as a way to track hearing damage.

He said officials have improved the type of protection for workers -- ear plugs and muffs -- and now require them to wear the protection in certain places. He also said the agency has installed quieter engines on newer vessels and retrofitted older ones with sound-proofing insulation, engine shields and vestibules.

The agency's policy also requires it to regularly monitor noise levels for safety.

Despite those improvements, Williamson said it's "inevitable" that some people will suffer hearing loss. He also said workers say some boats are louder than others, including the Hyak, a mid-sized ferry that is using engines from the Spokane, a jumbo jerry.

"They were screaming loud," he said.

Marta Coursey, a spokeswoman for the ferry system, said the agency has a comprehensive hearing-conservation program that employees are required to follow.

"Employees have a clear role in observing safety rules and regulations in order to maintain their health and hearing," Coursey said in an e-mail.

"(Washington State Ferries) upholds the highest standards of safety for our employees as well as our customers, and we have a longstanding history of ensuring that our engine room employees safeguard their health including their hearing," she wrote.

Williamson said studies that look at noise levels and worker safety usually study thresholds for an eight-hour period. He said those studies shouldn't be applied to ferry workers, because they work 12-hour shifts.

He also said lab settings differ from real work environments, because they don't account for individual use, such as someone wearing glasses, or getting jostled on a boat.

"I'm personally not satisfied that we scientifically really know what's safe," he said.

He said most of his 180 complaints against the state were filed in the late 1990s or early 2000s, which he said is a sign that conditions have improved in recent years. He said the state mostly settled those cases, paying a total of $3 to $4 million to injured workers.

Vanessa Ho can be reached at 206-448-8003 or vanessaho@seattlepi.com.

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