Some Ohio adults are part of the workforce that works from home. While it has many benefits, injuries can still happen when you work remotely. That’s why it’s crucial to know when workers’ compensation is applicable.
Understanding liability and remote work
There are a few main factors looked at when a remote employee gets injured. The first factor is what the remote worker was doing at the time of their injury and when the incident happened. Generally, a workplace injury must involve a work-related activity taking place when an employee suffered their injuries.
Someone who fell down their home’s stairs to take a spur-of-the-moment work call may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. However, those same protections wouldn’t likely apply if this same person fell while running to the kitchen to get a drink. It would also be difficult for someone to claim workers’ compensation if an injury involved non-work-related activities such as folding the laundry or getting into an accident while going to get groceries.
Common remote employee injuries
Remote employees can get hurt in a variety of ways. However, several types of injuries happen more often than others. People working from home commonly suffer slip-and-fall injuries. Due to remote jobs involving mostly sedentary work, back and neck injuries are also common for people working from home.
That said, remote workers aren’t always working from home. Sometimes, these people must drive to nearby meetings or to visit clients. You might have a valid workers’ compensation claim if an accident happens during these trips.
Without having colleagues around them, a remote worker might feel unsure of what to do after they get hurt. Before doing anything else, seek medical attention for your injury.
