Wednesday, November 13, 2024
When Lauren Vercoe tripped over a pet fence while working from home in Australia, she turned the accident into a workplace injury claim. The twist? The fence wasn’t standard office equipment—it was a makeshift barrier she’d set up to keep her colleague’s dog away from her pet rabbit during an approved remote-work day. The court ultimately ruled her employer liable, stating that the pet fence, though unconventional, was a feature of her workspace. This unusual case raises big questions for employers: Are remote workspaces safe? Should pet fences be risk-assessed? And, most importantly, who’s responsible for at-home hazards?