Q185 - Bring Your Pet to Work 2

Question:

During a bring your pet to work day, one employee brought a pet hamster to the office. The hamster bit his ear while he was showing him off and later was found dead in his office. An autopsy found he had a bad reaction to a protein in the hamster's saliva that brought a fatal case of anaphylaxis.

Answer:

YES. There is no exception for injuries caused by animals (even pets) at work.

1904.5(a) You must consider an injury or illness to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the work environment, unless an exception in §1904.5(b)(2) specifically applies How to Report a Fatality