Workplace Dispute

Published June 25, 2011

Under Australian law, employers are now required to compensate workers for injuries suffered while they are working at home.

The worker involved injured her shoulder when she twice slipped down the stairs in her home. The Australian court found the injuries were work-related.

As a result, some legal commentators said employers could be forced to perform health and safety audits of home offices. The Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry called this “a bad outcome for everyone concerned.” They stated, “What the ruling essentially does is significantly discourage an employer providing workplace flexibility.”

The worker might recover millions in wages for past and future employment.

Source: Robyn Ironside, “Telstra forced to pay costs, compensation after worker Dale Hargreaves slips while working at home,” The Courier-Mail, June 25, 2011