While everyone knows that an accident that happens to an employee inside a workplace or work building is clearly a Workers’ Comp case in New York, what about accidents that occur OUTSIDE the office building or workplace?

This winter was particularly cold and there is a lot of ice everywhere. It’s likely that employees somewhere have sustained slip and fall injuries in an employee-designated parking lot. The law IS CLEAR: injuries sustained in a parking lot designated for use by employees ARE COVERED BY WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. This is true even if the employee has not yet clocked in or has already clocked out!

The reason behind this is that if an employer designates an area for employees to park in, such a place becomes “part of” the work premises. Based on the same logic, accidents that happen on the way from the parking lot into the main workplace or accidents that happen on the way from the main workplace into the employee parking lot are ALSO covered, just as if they had taken place inside the main workplace location!