Darmstadt (dpa/lhe) - A fall on the way to a vending machine at work must be recognized as an accident at work according to a ruling by the Hessian State Social Court. The fall of an employee while getting coffee is insured against accidents, the court in Darmstadt announced on Tuesday. "The journey to get a coffee from a machine in the company building was related to the insured activity of the employees." (Ref.: L 3 U 202/21)
According to the court, a 57-year-old from the district of Hersfeld-Rotenburg slipped on the wet ground on her way to the social room of a tax office and broke a lumbar vertebra. She applied for this to be recognized as an accident at work. However, the Unfallkasse Hessen rejected this on the grounds that the insurance cover regularly ends when the canteen door is walked through. The cash register was right in the first instance. In the second instance, the state social court decided in favor of the woman who had an accident.
The accident insurance protection does not end at the door to the social room, which is located inside the company building. This space clearly belongs to the area of responsibility of the employer. In addition, the social room was not used as a canteen or for eating at the time of the accident, the court said. The court allowed an appeal.
