Supreme Court rules supermarket worker’s suicide in Cantabria as a work accident

The Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that determined the suicide of a supermarket chain worker in Cantabria in April 2021 to be a work accident. The Social Chamber rejected an appeal filed by the company against a previous decision by the Superior Court of Justice of Cantabria, which had classified the worker’s suicide as a work accident and ordered the payment of compensation and pensions to the deceased worker’s family. The ruling highlighted the lack of evaluation of psychosocial risks in the workplace and the company’s failure to implement preventative measures to address these risks, which were deemed to be contributing factors to the suicide.

The employee had faced workplace harassment complaints, leading to his transfer to a different location within the supermarket chain. He had expressed concern about potential legal consequences related to the harassment complaint before his death, indicating a clear link between the work environment and his decision to take his own life. The Supreme Court emphasized that there was no evidence of pre-existing psychiatric conditions that could have attributed the suicide to factors unrelated to work.

Despite the company’s argument that the death was due to a common illness rather than a work accident, the Supreme Court found that the circumstances leading up to the suicide were directly related to the workplace issues the worker had experienced. The ruling distinguished this case from a similar case involving a bank director in Tenerife, where the cause of death was determined to be a combination of familial and work-related stressors, rather than exclusively work-related factors.

In conclusion, the Supreme Court’s decision underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing workplace-related mental health issues and the potential consequences they can have on employees. The ruling serves as a reminder to employers to prioritize the well-being of their employees and take necessary steps to prevent situations that can lead to tragic outcomes like suicide.