Fall on a walk from bed to desk is a workplace accident, German court rules

A German court has ruled that a man who slipped while walking a few meters from his bed to his home office can claim workplace accident insurance as he was technically commuting.

Two lower courts that started dealing with the case both noted that statutory accident insurance was only granted to the “first” journey to work and that in this instance, the employee was on his way back from the home office to get his breakfast in the kitchen, hence did not qualify for a workplace accident insurance.

A higher German federal court however decided that “If the insured activity is carried out in the household of the insured person or at another location, insurance cover was provided to the same extent as when the activity is carried out at the company premises.”

According to the court, considering that the employee took the stairs to the home office to start work in the direct interests of the employer and that since the accident occurred at the time when the employee usually started work, the trip on the stairs was insured as an activity in the interest of the employer.