AAT decision confirms work from home injury liability

In a recent decision, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) awarded compensation to an employee who sustained an injury caused by their employment while working from home.

This decision places emphasis on the seriousness of following health and safety guidelines given to employees when working from home, and the importance of maintaining the physical health of all employees.

Background

In this case, the worker - who failed to complete his employer's remote-work checklist - began experiencing pain in his right shoulder after beginning to work from home during the pandemic, which increasingly worsened over a period of several weeks.

He was eventually referred for orthopaedic review and was diagnosed with a "SLAP labral tear of the superior labrum extending to the anteroinferior quadrant with mild synovitis in the axillary recess".