Many employers are responding to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic by allowing workers to work from home.
But what happens if you are injured while working at home? Will you be entitled to a workers’ compensation claim?
If you have been injured at work – irrespective of where you are working from – you will be entitled to make a workers’ compensation claim if your injuries were sustained out of or within the course your employment.
In 2011 the Administrative Appeals Tribunal decided in favour of a worker who was injured while working in her own home. In the matter of Hargreaves and Telstra Corporation Limited [2011] AATA 417 (17 June 2011) the worker was injured when she fell down the stairs at her home while she was working for Telstra. At the time of each fall she was logged into Telstra’s computer system and had gotten up from her workstation for a short break, like taking a tea break in an office environment. In this case, the worker was entitled to make a claim for workers’ compensation for the injuries that she sustained at work.
Employers must carefully consider the work, health and safety environment of workers who work from home. Employers should properly assess the hazards in a worker’s home and failing to do so may result in an injury and the subsequent liability of an employer to pay compensation.
If you’ve been injured while working from home, GC Law can help. If you have any questions about your entitlement to workers’ compensation benefits, contact GC Law and speak to one of our lawyers today.
