Legal Definitions - parking-lot rule

The parking-lot rule, also known as the premises rule, is a legal principle used in workers' compensation law. It states that an employee's injury is generally covered by workers' compensation insurance if it occurs on the employer's property while the employee is either arriving at or leaving work. This rule acknowledges that the journey to and from the immediate workplace, when confined to the employer's premises, is considered part of the employment activity.

Here are some examples illustrating the parking-lot rule:

• Example 1: Slipping in the Company Parking Lot

  An employee, Sarah, arrives at work early one morning. As she walks across the company's designated parking lot towards the building entrance, she slips on a patch of black ice and breaks her wrist. Because Sarah's injury occurred on the employer's property while she was in the process of arriving for her shift, her injury would likely be covered under workers' compensation due to the parking-lot rule.

• Example 2: Tripping on a Company Sidewalk

  After completing his shift, Mark walks out of his office building and onto the private sidewalk that leads from the building to the public street. Before he reaches the public sidewalk, he trips over a raised section of the company's pavement and sprains his ankle. Since Mark was still on the employer's property and in the act of leaving work when the injury occurred, the parking-lot rule would typically apply, making him eligible for workers' compensation benefits.

• Example 3: Injury on a Company Shuttle within Campus

  A large technology company operates its own private campus with multiple buildings and a dedicated shuttle service for employees. An employee, David, parks his car in a remote company-owned lot and boards a company shuttle to reach his specific office building. While the shuttle is traveling on a private road within the company's campus, it brakes suddenly, causing David to fall and injure his back. Even though David was not in a "parking lot" at the exact moment of injury, he was on the employer's premises (the company campus and shuttle) and in the process of arriving at his workplace. Therefore, the parking-lot rule would likely apply to his injury.