Maybe you came close to injuring yourself at work recently, or perhaps the same thing happened to a coworker. Either way, you learned workers’ compensation would not cover the near-injury. What other injuries does workers’ compensation not cover?
Insurance Business has answers to your question. Understand when your employer has the right to deny you compensation for a workplace injury.
Workplace shenanigans
Say that you and your coworkers were joking around when one of you became injured. Because engaging in hijinks falls outside your standard job responsibilities, workers’ compensation would not cover your resulting injuries. That said, if you were tending to your job duties and sustained an injury because of employee horseplay, your injuries qualify for compensation coverage.
Coming and going rule
If you work in an office, brick-and-mortar store or another fixed location and get into an accident or otherwise injure yourself while coming or going from your place of employment, workers’ compensation does not apply. That said, if you were running an errand for your boss or employer outside the office and became injured, you would qualify for compensation. Workers’ compensation also applies if you hurt yourself and do not have a fixed employment location, or if your boss approves of you being out of the office for a unique reason when you become injured.
Working from home
Maybe you work from home and hurt yourself. If the injury happens during regular business hours, you may file a compensation claim. That said, even if you hurt yourself outside of business hours, you may still receive compensation. This exception applies because it is difficult for employers to determine whether the injured employee was or was not working when she or he became injured.