City Employee Granted Workers' Comp After Hurting Herself While Making Coffee at Home

A city employee in Australia has successfully claimed workers' compensation after breaking her arm and hurting her knee while making coffee at home, according to a report.

The employee, who worked for the City of Charles Sturt in South Australia, set up a pet fence to look after a coworker's dog while working from home, ABC reported. On September 19, 2022 around 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m., the worker tripped over the fence during a coffee break, sustaining significant injuries.

"As the fence was there, [the employee] says that she had to step over it and when doing so, her left foot (the trailing foot) caught the top of the pet fence, causing her to lose balance and fall forward," Auxiliary Deputy President Magistrate Jodie Carrel said.

The South Australian Employment Tribunal ruled that her injuries took place during a work break, noting the pet fence as a workplace hazard. Despite the case not being officially recognized by her employer, she made a claim with the Local Government Association Workers Compensation Scheme.

Carrel, assigned to make the decision, confirmed the incident unfolded during an "[authorized] coffee break at her place of employment."

"This was something [the employee] says she would have done had she been working in the office around the same time, as she did not have set times for short breaks over the course of her working day," Carrel said.

Following the ruling, the decision to pursue workers' compensation ignited debate among workers and employers about the potential liabilities of remote work setups.