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Out-of-court settlements to individuals claiming acoustic shock injury now total more than £10 million and more claims are expected to be filed by potentially thousands of call centre employees now at risk.

The rising issue for call centre employees is due largely to the computer based headsets that are used with Internet Protocol voice packages. They simply do not offer wearers even the basic levels of personal protection that are currently included with the industry standard call centre telephone headsets.

A company involved in the active protection of headset wearers is urgently warning that literally thousands of staff are at high risk for acoustic shock unless the issue is dealt with quickly.

Acoustic shock expert Paul Jenkins, Managing Director of Nomadtrack, says that "the growth in IP voice services is expected to increase occurrences of acoustic shock. In call centres and the emergency services this phenomena is already well recognised and being addressed, but IP presents a new challenge which must be addressed. Providers of such services - including Skype, Bulldog, Vonage - need to think about the guidance they offer to clients," he said. "If you are promoting the use of a VoIP service, then you need to be aware of the ramifications beyond the great benefit of free, high quality calls. Cheap headsets can land a company in hot water as the hearing protection is sadly lacking. A PC soundcard can often push four watts of sound into a headset. This has the potential to cause temporary or permanent hearing damage."

PC headsets are not yet based on telecommunication standards and are designed to produce excellent sound quality rather than protection against acoustic shock for the employee wearing the headset. Unexpected tones from the PC or Voice Over IP (VoIP) application can produce a shock strong enough to make the wearer jump and can also be significantly damaging in terms of high volume and damage to the ear.

Acoustic shock can cause pain, tinnitus, hyperacusis, and dysacusis. Acoustic shock is defined as loud, unannounced sounds that travel through the telephone line or the web interface too quickly generally fewer than 16 milliseconds; and cannot be avoided by the headset wearer, or provide ample time to remove the apparatus. However, it is preventable by wearing headsets which are especially and specifically designed to muffle acoustic shock and by installing telecommunications-grade equipment that reduces interference and continually monitors headset sound levels to offer a higher protection to users. Under the Noise at Work Regulations and EU legislation 2003/10/EC, employers are now required to reduce the risk of damage to all employees' hearing.