Centrelink worker's Christmas fall compo bid fails

A public servant who fell off a desk while putting up office Christmas decorations has failed in her bid for compensation for a permanent injury.

The woman was working in Centrelink's Murray Bridge office in South Australia in 2000 when the accident happened.

In a statement to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal the woman, whose name has been omitted, described the fall as heavy and said she later wrote in her work diary "I have a pulled muscle in my bum".

She did not take time off work immediately, but afterwards suffered reoccurring backaches and pain in the buttocks.

Giving evidence, the woman said in the year after falling off the desk her back pain was aggravated by falling off a chair and subsequent chiropractic treatment and exercise.

She also admitted she had experienced back pains prior to the fall at work.

The woman went on to seek treatment from a variety of healthcare professionals and eventually had surgery on her back in March 2002.

After receiving an initial compensation payment for the injury in 2011, in 2012 she then sought compensation for a permanent impairment as a result of the fall.

Several medical experts found she had suffered a "disturbance, deterioration, protrusion and ultimate prolapse" of the L4/5 lumbar disc in her spine and the fall at work may have contributed to this.

But the experts also agreed she had an "established degenerative disease in her spine", which was already causing her significant symptoms prior to the fall.

The tribunal subsequently found there was "no relevant damage" suffered to her back in the fall, and reaffirmed Comcare's decision to refuse the compensation claim.

"Even if the fall had not occurred, Ms Brown would have suffered the degree of permanent impairment which she currently suffers," deputy president Katherine Bean said.

"It follows that that permanent impairment, which would have eventuated regardless... is not compensable."