
Fall on walk from bed to desk is workplace accident, German court rules
Man who slipped and broke his back while working from home was commuting, it is decided
A German court has ruled that a man who slipped while walking a few metres from his bed to his home office can claim on workplace accident insurance as he was technically commuting.
The man was working from home and on his way to his desk one floor below his bedroom, the federal social court, which oversees social security issues, said in its decision.
While walking on the spiral staircase connecting the rooms, the unnamed man slipped and broke his back.
It is not clear if the man was working from home due to the pandemic or had done so previously. The ruling said the law applied to “teleworking positions”, which are “computer workstations that are permanently set up by the employer in the private area of the employees”.