Pennsylvania workers' compensation covers injuries that occur in the course and scope of employment, even when those injuries happen away from your regular workplace.
Kaufman Workers' Compensation Law helps Pennsylvania workers determine whether their offsite injuries qualify for coverage under traveling employee, special mission, or other exceptions to the coming-and-going rule.
Contact us at (267) 626-2973 for a free consultation about your workplace injury claim.
Key Takeaways: Off-Site Work Injuries and Workers’ Comp
- Pennsylvania's coming-and-going rule bars coverage for regular commutes, but exceptions apply for traveling employees, contract, special missions, and activities which further your employer’s interests (such as travel to business-sponsored events)
- Business travel injuries at hotels, conferences, or client sites generally receive coverage because traveling employees remain in the course of employment throughout their trips.
- Personal deviations during work travel might suspend coverage temporarily, but minor stops for personal comfort may maintain workers' compensation protection.
Pennsylvania's Coming-and-Going Rule
Pennsylvania's coming-and-going rule bars workers' compensation coverage for regular commutes because traveling to and from a fixed workplace falls outside the course of employment.
The rule exists because routine commutes serve personal convenience rather than employer interests. Employers receive no direct benefit when workers travel their usual routes to reach the workplace at the start of shifts or return home at the end of workdays.
Four Exceptions That Restore Coverage
Pennsylvania law recognizes four major exceptions to the coming-and-going rule that restore workers' compensation coverage for travel-related injuries:
| Exception | When It Applies | Common Examples |
| Traveling Employee Status | Worker has no fixed workplace; travel is inherent to job duties | Delivery drivers, sales reps, home health aides, cable installers, construction crews at rotating sites |
| Employment Contract Provisions | Transportation to/from work is express or implied term of employment | Company provides vehicle, contract includes transportation clause, employer controls commute method |
| Special Mission Exception | Employer directs specific tasks outside regular duties during commute | Picking up supplies, visiting clients en route, delivering documents, attending meetings during travel |
| Furthering Employer Business | Worker advances employer interests during travel | Driving vehicle with company logo, transporting work materials, making stops that benefit employer |
These exceptions recognize situations where travel itself becomes part of job duties. Workers who meet exception criteria remain in the course and scope of employment even while driving, walking, or using public transportation.
Traveling Employee Status and Coverage
Traveling employees work without fixed locations, including contractors, delivery drivers, cable installers, and police officers who keep equipment at home and travel directly to work sites.
Who Qualifies as a Traveling Employee
Sales representatives who visit client locations, home health aides who provide services at patient residences, and construction crews who report to changing job sites all might qualify as traveling employees. The key factor involves whether workers report to a fixed office daily or spend work time traveling between locations.
Pennsylvania courts examine work patterns when determining traveling employee status. Workers who occasionally visit company offices but spend most working hours at customer sites, client facilities, or rotating construction locations receive traveling employee treatment.
When Coverage Ends for Traveling Employees
Employers must prove distinct breaks in employment duties to deny benefits for traveling employees under the coming-and-going rule. Simply heading home after completing work tasks does not create the separation needed to suspend coverage. However, substantial personal deviations, like lengthy detours for errands unrelated to work, might break the employment connection.
Special Mission Exception for Directed Tasks
The special mission exception applies when employers direct workers to perform specific tasks outside regular duties during commute periods. Workers who receive instructions to pick up supplies, deliver documents, or attend meetings during travel to or from work maintain coverage throughout these trips.
Examples of Special Mission Coverage
A nurse who is asked to visit a patient's home while driving home from a shift remains on the job during that detour. An office worker who stops at a client location to drop off contracts on the way to the office maintains coverage during the entire trip. Even picking up food or supplies for workplace meetings at an employer's request could trigger special mission protection.
Documenting Employer Direction
The exception requires clear employer direction or authorization. Workers who decide independently to run work-related errands during their commutes without their employer's knowledge or approval may not be protected.
Documentation is critical. Text messages, emails, or verbal instructions from supervisors establish that the employer directed the travel.
Personal Comfort Doctrine and Minor Deviations
Pennsylvania's personal comfort doctrine recognizes that workers remain in the course of employment during brief stops for personal needs that occur during work travel. Coffee stops, restroom breaks, and quick meal purchases during business trips typically maintain coverage.
Courts examine whether deviations remain minor or become substantial departures from work purposes. A five-minute coffee stop, for instance, may maintain coverage while a two-hour shopping trip unrelated to work could suspend coverage during the personal activity.
Business Trip Coverage for Hotels and Conferences
Pennsylvania workers traveling for business purposes generally receive coverage throughout their trips because they remain engaged in furthering the employer's business even during non-working hours at hotels or conferences. This extended protection recognizes that business travelers remain available for work and serve employer interests continuously.
Injuries at hotel facilities, during conference attendance, or while dining with clients receive presumptive coverage. Falls in hotel rooms, accidents in conference centers, and transportation injuries between work events may also qualify as work-related, as business travel often places workers in these locations.
The presumption allows exceptions when workers engage in activities completely foreign to employment purposes. Extended personal entertainment, recreational activities unrelated to work functions, or substantial deviations from business itineraries may temporarily suspend coverage.
Company Vehicle Accidents and Workers' Compensation
Pennsylvania workers' compensation covers company vehicle accidents when workers drive to job sites, make deliveries or sales calls in personal cars while receiving mileage compensation, transport materials or employees, or run errands at supervisor request.
Using personal vehicles for work purposes generates the same coverage as company vehicles when driving serves job functions.
Contract terms involving company vehicles may affect coverage scope. Workers who drive vehicles with employer logos or maintain strict work-only use policies may receive broader protection, as vehicle use itself furthers the employer's advertising or business interests.
Evidence That Proves Course and Scope of Employment
Documenting work-related travel purposes strengthens offsite injury claims significantly. Multiple evidence types work together to establish that travel served employment rather than personal interests. Your workers’ compensation attorney can help gather this evidence and file a claim on your behalf.
Communication and Authorization Records
Pennsylvania courts look for clear evidence that employers directed or authorized work-related travel:
- Text messages, emails, or voicemails from supervisors requesting errands, scheduling client meetings, or assigning tasks
- Supervisor testimony confirming work assignments and travel requirements
- Employee handbooks or policies documenting standard travel procedures for similar positions
These records demonstrate employers authorized or required travel, establishing that workers acted within the course and scope of employment when injuries occurred.
Travel Documentation and Work Records
Additional evidence helps establish travel routes, timing, and business purposes:
- GPS data, toll records, and mileage logs showing travel routes and whether workers followed direct paths to work destinations
- Delivery manifests, client appointment schedules, and work orders documenting legitimate business purposes for specific trips
- Work calendars and timesheets showing hours worked during travel periods
- Expense reimbursement requests proving travel occurred for work purposes
- Coworker statements describing usual work patterns and whether challenged trips matched normal job duties
This documentation creates a comprehensive picture of how injuries occurred during work-related activities rather than personal travel.
FAQ for Offsite Workers' Compensation Claims
Can I Get Workers’ Comp if I Stop for Coffee on the Way to a Work Site?
Brief stops for coffee, meals, or restroom breaks during work travel typically maintain workers' compensation coverage under Pennsylvania's personal comfort doctrine. However, lengthy shopping trips or extended personal errands unrelated to work create substantial deviations that suspend coverage during the personal activity.
What if I Get Injured Driving My Own Car for Work Instead of a Company Vehicle?
Personal vehicles used for work purposes receive the same workers' compensation coverage as company vehicles when driving serves job functions. Workers who receive mileage reimbursement, make client visits, transport work materials, or run employer-directed errands in personal cars maintain coverage during work-related travel.
Does Workers’ Comp Cover Me if I’m Injured in a Hotel Parking Lot During a Business Trip?
Pennsylvania workers' compensation generally covers injuries throughout business trips because traveling employees remain in the course of employment even during non-working hours. Hotel parking lot injuries, falls in hotel rooms, and accidents at conference facilities are usually covered unless the injury occurred during substantial personal entertainment unrelated to work. This could result in a denied workers' comp claim.
Speak with a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer About Your Pennsylvania Offsite Work Injury
Offsite workplace injuries create complex coverage questions that depend on traveling employee status, special mission authorization, personal deviation scope, and business travel analysis. Pennsylvania courts examine these factors case by case, making legal guidance valuable for workers whose injuries occurred away from regular worksites and may need to hire a workers' compensation lawyer to understand their rights.
Jenifer Kaufman's certification as a workers' compensation specialist since 2013 means she understands how to handle the nuanced coverage questions that arise when workers are injured away from their primary worksites. Contact Kaufman Workers' Compensation Law at (267) 626-2973 for a free consultation about your offsite workplace injury.