Royal Opera loses its appeal

摘要

THE Royal Opera House (ROH) has lost its appeal1 against a decision of the High Court, which said the organisation was liable for permanent hearing damage suffered by a member of its in-house orchestra2-3.The ROH had failed to control employees' exposure to noise as stipulated by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (Noise Regulations), and there was a causal link between this breach and injuries suffered by the claimant. Christopher Goldscheider was a viola player at the ROH. He claimed his hearing had been damaged as a result of 'acoustic shock'4 owing to the high noise levels he was exposed to during a rehearsal of Wagner's Die Walkure in 2012. The injury had ended his career.