Overview
- In a binding decision, Germany’s Federal Social Court held that fetching coffee or other indulgences is generally a private activity not covered by statutory accident insurance.
- In the tested case involving a Hessian tax office employee, a fall on a freshly mopped floor in the staff room qualified as a work accident due to a special operational hazard.
- The court distinguished canteens from staff rooms, indicating coverage typically ends at a canteen’s door but can extend into social rooms depending on their role in workplace operations.
- Judges flagged a potential but unresolved exception if coffee were necessary to maintain work concentration, leaving open how such necessity could be demonstrated.
- The case, registered as B 2 U 11/23 R, is expected to influence employers’ safety obligations in break areas and guide insurers’ future case assessments.