Workers Compensation benefits awarded to office worker who falls out of chair
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission awarded 12 weeks of temporary total disability and $52,075 in medical expenses to an office worker who injured her wrist when she fell out of her chair at work.
An employee’s injury while sitting in her work chair and stretching her arms may be compensable, where the employee must spend her day seated at a desk to perform her duties and her employer encourages employees to perform ergonomic exercises to release tension.
The claimant was working in the defendant’s business support center when she fell out of her chair and injured her wrist. At the time of the accident, the claimant was stretching both arms over her head. The back of the chair released and went out from under her. She fell face down, injuring her right wrist. The chairs had casters, were adjustable, and were made of mesh backs and seats. The floor was carpeted in standard industrial, no-nap carpet. Prior to the accident, the defendant’s human resources department sent out and e-mail encouraging employees to stretch and do ergonomic exercises to release tension in the neck and shoulders. The claimant testified that the chair was not broken and there was no defect in the floor. The arbitrator awarded benefits, finding that the accident occurred as the claimant was performing acts she could reasonably be expected to perform, using equipment provided by the defendant. She was using the chair in a way the defended anticipated and even encouraged. The stretching exercises were meant to relieve tension in the neck and shoulders, making employees more comfortable and more productive. Therefore, the exercises were of benefit both to employees and the employer. As the claimant was required to spend her day seated at a desk answering the phone and using a computer, she was at an increased risk of injury. The chair was integrally related to the fulfillment of her work duties. Also, the arbitrator pointed out that because workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, the claimant was not required to prove that her chair was defective in order to be entitled to benefits. Upon review, the Commission affirmed and adopted the decision of the arbitrator
