London - A school inspector claims a laptop computer given to her by bosses so she could work from home started a fire which caused more than £350 000 (more than R4-million) damage to her thatched cottage.
Eileen Visser is suing her former employers at Ofsted for breaching safety regulations in a case which could have serious implications for the almost 700 000 Britons who work from home.
Mrs Visser says the four-year-old laptop was faulty and that she had complained about overheating problems.
According to a High Court writ, she was “under pressure” to complete a report in her study when the computer overheated again. The 59-year- old says she was advised by technical support staff to leave the laptop to cool down, so she took her dog for a walk. When she returned about an hour later, her picturesque grade II-listed cottage was on fire.
The blaze, which investigators believe was caused by an electrical fault, devastated the house in Long Marston, North Yorkshire, destroying the roof. Repairs cost £359 144, for which her insurers NFU Mutual paid out only £249 813.
Mrs Visser, who retired last December, had to take out a mortgage to pay the difference and has launched legal action against Ofsted for more than £100 000.
On Tuesday her husband John, 63, said: “The case is complicated and has very serious implications for home working”.
The family's solicitors claimed Ofsted had breached 13 rules governing working from home, including being negligent or in breach of its duty under the 1998 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and the 1999 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.
Mrs Visser had been having problems with her laptop for some time before the blaze on May 4, 2007, and was issued with a replacement battery two weeks earlier.
She says that when the computer overheated she was told by her employers it was safe to leave it switched on and wait for the internal fan to cool it down. She claims eight other Ofsted employees had experienced similar problems.
Investigators said the fire started in the study and was probably caused by a fault in the laptop, monitor, docking station or printer.
Ofsted said it did not accept liability but would not comment further because it was a court case.
Working from home is increasing in popularity. According to an official survey, there were 691 000 home workers last year compared with 582 000 three years earlier. - Daily Mail