Spain. Court Sentences Company for Suicide of One of Its Employees

Judge finds company failed to comply with its obligations to protect employee's mental health.

A court in Tarragona, Spain, has ordered a chemical company in Alcover to pay 1.1 million euros in compensation for failing to act to prevent the suicide of one of its managers.

The case dates back to May 2020, when one of the company's managers and production managers committed suicide. The court ruled that his actions were "a consequence of the anxiety and distress caused by his work activity".

The man was reportedly going through a difficult time at work due to the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and was facing a series of legal proceedings related to complaints about the working environment at the factory.

The court found that the man's "stress, distress and mental illness" were "well known", and the company failed to comply with its obligations to "protect the health and integrity" of its employee.

The ruling adds that the company “did not carry out an assessment of psychosocial risks”, as required by law, and considered that “health surveillance measures were not applied in relation to the worker’s condition”.

The decision comes five years after the man’s death and his family filed a complaint.