Recent case highlights hidden hazards of remote work

BY Charles Power and Fiorella Chiavetta 07 May 2025

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In a world where remote work is becoming the new normal, the boundaries of workplace safety and employer liability are continuously tested.

How far does an employer's responsibility extend when an employee's home doubles as their office? Can a pet gate or a slippery kitchen floor become a workplace hazard? Can an employer escape liability when a worker creates their own hazards?

These questions came to the forefront in a recent case before the South Australian Employment Tribunal (SAET), where a council officer suffered injuries after tripping over a pet fence while on a coffee break at home. The SAET ultimately determined that the worker was entitled to compensation because the injuries arose out of employment and that the fence was a significant contributing cause.

This decision explores the unique hazards of remote work environments and highlights the risks and complexities arising as the lines between home and workplace continue to blur in today’s flexible work landscape.

Workers’ compensation claim

In Lauren Vercoe v. Local Government Association Workers Compensation Scheme [2024] SAET 91, a programmer employed by local government filed a workers’ compensation claim under the Return to Work Act 2014 (SA) after sustaining injuries while working from home.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the employee worked from home in accordance with the State Government’s...

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