Does Worker Comp Cover Injury Suffered by Worker While Leaving Work?

A trucker slips and falls in an icy parking lot after finishing a delivery and dropping off the truck. Question: Is the injury covered by workers’ comp’ The employer/owner of the lot argues no, claiming that the trucker is an independent operator rather than a worker because he’s not supervised and isn’t included in the company’s workers’ comp assessment. But the Ontario appeals tribunal says he’s a worker because he has a full-time contract and the company owns the truck he uses. The company also contends that the injury wasn’t work-related because it happened 15 to 20 minutes after the driver completed his delivery. But the tribunal once more sides with the driver noting that he was on the premises for work-related purposes even if he did linger a while after his assignment [Decision No. 550/19, 2019 ONWSIAT 1844 (CanLII), August 13, 2019].