Job-related injuries are covered by workers’ compensation. An injury is almost always job-related if it occurs at work during work hours. Exceptions do apply to that rule, such as an injury that occurs while traveling for work or hosting a special event at an off-site location. However, majority of injuries occur on the job-site itself.
An injury can be job-related even if it occurs outside of the workplace. For example, if an employer asks an employee to deliver a product sample to a potential buyer and the employee is injured in a traffic accident while making the delivery, the injury is job-related.
An injury can also be job-related if it occurs while an employee is working outside of work hours. For example, if the boss tells an employee to pick up lunch for the boss during the employee’s lunch hour, an injury that occurs while the employee is picking up that meal or taking it to the boss is likely to be regarded as job-related.
Driving to and from work is not usually considered to be part of employment, so traffic accidents while commuting are not typically covered by workers’ compensation. In some cases, however, an employee might be “working” while driving to work.
For example, if an employee is assigned to report to a job site that is distant from the place the employee usually works, an injury that occurs while commuting to that job site might be regarded as job-related.
