Lawn mowing, breast reductions and longer coffee breaks.
They all seem like pretty weird things to ask of your workplace, but these are some of the most bizarre workers’ compensation requests that have been made by Australian employees.
And Australian government workers’ compensation insurer Comcare has revealed these requests have also cost taxpayers almost $45 million.
Taxpayers have paid for legal bills that have been a result of fighting demands from public servants who want payouts for services that don’t seem at all related to work.
Comcare revealed a public servant fought to be given compensation so he could have his lawn mowed.
The obese Australian Bureau of Statistics clerk claimed he had been bullied and harassed and suffered from a “psychological injury.” He claimed to be plagued with breathlessness, fatigue and dizziness.
The man claimed that meant he was not able to mow his lawn, but his demand for compensation was rejected by Comcare because he had family members who could mow the lawn instead.
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal believed his two adult children and his wife had the ability to mow and trim the lawns of the family home for one to two hours every couple of weeks.
“At a more fundamental level, we found that the (man’s) breathlessness, fatigue, dizziness and sweating complaints derived from the applicant’s obesity, deteriorating cardiac condition and sleep apnea,” a published decision read.
The Canberra Times reported the man claimed his family could not mow the lawns because two of them studied at college for more than 60 hours a week and his wife had a full-time job and traveled to work.
The man had previously received compensation after he claimed he was bullied.
In another strange workers’ compensation battle, a woman requested money for a breast reduction.
A worker at the Australian Taxation Office demanded $15,000 for the procedure and her fight cost taxpayers more than $75,000.
She claimed the size of her breasts gave her neck and shoulder pain.
Her case was taken to court twice, but in December it was ousted by Comcare, which did not think the surgery was related to her work.
She claimed that sitting at a desk in front of a computer gave her the pain and made her gain weight, which was the reason for needing a breast reduction.
According to the Canberra Times, the woman had the surgery in 2009 after she received medical advice from doctors but she was not granted the compensation.
Another public servant tried to fight for workers’ compensation after she received injuries while having sex in a motel room during a work trip.
This demand cost taxpayers more than $455,000 and the case was carried on for six years.
The woman involved pulled a light fitting off the wall during the wild romp in 2007 and cut her nose and mouth. She claimed she also suffered psychological injuries as a result.
Comcare won the case against her and did not grant her compensation.
In another crazy claim, a woman who worked for the Australian Taxation Office demanded compensation after she took longer coffee breaks.
The worker claimed she had dietary requirements and needed to find a cafe with organic coffee and soy milk and she took longer than 15 minutes during her morning coffee break.
She claimed that following the breaks, she was treated unreasonably by her boss and it triggered her adjustment disorder, the feeling of hopelessness and sadness caused by the stressful event. Her workers’ comp claim was also rejected.
Comcare says it has to fight these types of claims because it is vital to maintaining the integrity of the compensation scheme.
“Failure to do so would expose the scheme to more claims that test the boundaries of the legislation and lead to increased legal costs to resolve disputes,” a Comcare spokesman said.
“Legal costs escalate considerably once matters progress beyond the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and into the Federal Court of the High Court.
“We continually monitor disputed claims with a view to earlier resolution wherever possible.”