Legal Definitions - zone of employment

The zone of employment refers to the specific physical area where an employee is considered to be working for the purpose of workers' compensation benefits. If an employee sustains an injury within this designated area while performing work-related duties or activities incidental to their employment, they are generally eligible for compensation.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Office Building Scenario: Imagine an accountant working on the third floor of a large corporate office building. During a scheduled break, they walk to the company's designated break room on the same floor to get a coffee. On the way, they trip over a loose floor tile in the hallway and sprain their ankle.

  Explanation: In this situation, the entire office building, including common areas like hallways and break rooms provided by the employer, is typically considered part of the zone of employment. Even though the employee was on a break, the injury occurred within the physical confines of the workplace, making them eligible for workers' compensation.

• Retail Store and Parking Lot: A sales associate arrives for their morning shift at a department store. As they walk from their car in the company-owned and maintained employee parking lot towards the store entrance, they slip on a patch of ice and break their wrist.

  Explanation: For many businesses, the employer-controlled parking lot that employees are required or expected to use to access their workplace is considered part of the zone of employment. The injury occurred on the employer's premises while the employee was in the process of beginning their workday, thus falling within the designated zone.

• Off-Site Service Technician: A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technician is dispatched to a client's home to repair a furnace. While carrying tools from their company vehicle to the client's basement, they misstep on the client's porch and suffer a knee injury.

  Explanation: For employees whose job duties regularly require them to travel to various off-site locations, the "zone of employment" extends to those specific places where they are actively performing work-related tasks. The client's property, while not owned by the technician's employer, becomes part of the zone of employment for the duration of the service call because the technician is there to fulfill their job responsibilities.