The quick answer to this question is yes—if you were covered in your workplace before you were sent home, you should be covered while working from home.
However, just like an injury that happens in a traditional workplace, you must show that the injury occurred while you were doing work-related tasks. We consider what that could mean for you.
Who's Working From Home?
If you shifted your workplace from the office to home after Governor DeWine issued Ohio’s stay-at-home order, you're one of the lucky ones. Rather than losing your job or risking your life as an essential worker, you're able to continue working in the relative safety of your own home. I say "relative safety" because accidents do happen there, and workers can be injured in a home office as easily as in an employer’s office.
Typical work-from-home injuries include:
- Falls. Tripping over inventory, computer cords, or equipment, or falling down the stairs to a basement office should qualify for workers’ comp because you were injured while performing work tasks. However, tripping over the family dog or falling down stairs while checking on laundry will likely not be covered, even if they happen during the workday.
- Repetitive-use injuries. Some of us are putting in even more hours on the computer at home than we did in the office. As in-person meetings and physical tasks have become virtual, the likelihood of developing carpal tunnel syndrome or other soft tissue injury increases.
- Strains from heavy lifting. If you had to move merchandise or equipment to your home to keep working, you could suffer an injury while lifting and carrying heavy boxes. These work-related tasks should be covered by workers’ comp.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we work in Ohio, many of us were working from home. It's likely that more of us will continue to have this option even after the governor’s orders are loosened and eventually lifted. As remote workers and telecommuters, it’s essential to understand your right to workers’ compensation in Ohio.
Jim Monast Is Right There With You
The staff at Monast Law Office has been working from our offices to continue to meet the needs of our clients and to help new clients with workers’ comp claims. Whether you were injured while working from home or as an essential worker in a hospital, retail outlet, grocery store, delivery service, or other positions, filing a workers’ comp claim is likely to be more challenging than usual, given the CoronaPalooza 2020 situation. Now more than ever, don’t try to go it alone. Contact us to discover how we can help you get the benefits you deserve.
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