Tripping at your desk at home. Court: An accident during a video conference is an accident at work

For the first time in Italy, compensation has been awarded for an accident that occurred while working remotely. It was received by a woman who, while working from home during a video conference, got up from her desk and reached for a folder with documents, tripped and broke her ankle. She had to undergo surgery.

Italian media reported that compensation for medical expenses was awarded to a 60-year-old employee of the Faculty of Law of the University of Padua by the Labor Court in this city.

The accident at the woman's home occurred while she was working remotely in April 2022, when this mode was introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the fall, the woman suffered a double ankle fracture, which required hospitalization and surgery. The hospital issued her with a certificate of incapacity for work for 137 days. She covered the costs of private treatment, dressings and wheelchair rental herself and therefore applied for reimbursement to the National Institute of Insurance against Accidents at Work (Inail).

This office ruled out that the event was an accident at work.

The woman asked for legal assistance from the trade union to which she belongs and, together with it, submitted another application to Inail for reimbursement of the costs incurred. When it was rejected for the second time, she appealed to the Labor Court in Padua.

During these proceedings, Inail recognized the incident as an industrial accident but upheld its refusal to reimburse private medical expenses. However, the judge ordered the repayment of all expenses, taking into account, among other things, the “lack of speed” in the activities of this national institution.

The Ansa agency reminded that there is a circular of the National Institute of Accidents at Work from 2017, i.e. before the pandemic, according to which a “mobile employee” is protected against accidents at work, but there must be a direct connection between the event and the work performed.

Sylwia Wysocka from Rome (PAP)

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