The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), the independent body which advises the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme, today announced the publication of its Position Paper 'Occupational Voice Loss'.
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council received requests to consider whether voice loss and vocal disorders in particular occupational groups should be made prescribed diseases for the purposes of the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme. This report describes the pathology of vocal disorders and outlines the scientific evidence relating to such disorders in a number of occupational groups that have been studied, including teachers, performance artists and military staff.
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council evaluated the available scientific literature relating to occupational voice loss and other vocal disorders. It concluded that there is currently insufficient good quality epidemiological evidence of an association between voice loss and particular occupations. The Council recognises that this is an emerging area of research and intends to keep the subject under review.
Press Office: 020 7238 0866
Out of hours: 07659 108883
Public enquiries: 020 7712 2171
Website: iiac.org.uk
IIAC Secretariat: 020 7962 8066