Many workplace injures happen while on the job—in a warehouse, on a construction site, or in an office building, for example. However, it is important to note that injuries don’t have to happen at a specific location to count as workplace injuries.
For example, you could be hurt while driving a company truck. This could happen anywhere, and it’s obviously a big concern for professional drivers. However, it’s also a concern just for workers who need to drive from the company headquarters to job sites, or those who have to make runs to pick up more materials and supplies. If you’re doing a job for your employer when you’re hurt, no matter where you are, it may count as a workplace injury.
Another example is when workers are injured at lunch. If the company has a cafeteria in the building and a worker slips and falls on a wet floor, it may count as a workplace injury. It could even count if the worker is not on the clock at the time.
However, if workers get to leave the building for lunch, an injury suffered will not be a workplace injury. If the worker is off the clock and is injured at the store or at a nearby fast food restaurant, though the worker may have a claim against the store owner or restaurant owner, he or she will not have one against an employer.
If you’ve been injured in connection to your work, even if you were not technically on a job site in Pennsylvania, make sure that you know what rights you have to compensation.
Source: FIndLaw, “What Types of Injuries are Compensable Under Workers’ Compensation?,” accessed Dec. 23, 2015
