Is It Recordable?
Scenario Q7

Accident in Company Parking Lot During Commute: is it recordable?

Verdict: Not recordable
Published 2020-08-09

Question

The employee was commuting to work in a vehicle. When they drove through the company-owned parking lot, they were involved in a vehicle accident and sustained injuries that resulted in medical treatment. Is it recordable?

Answer

NO, it is not recordable. The commute is excepted from work-relatedness. The commute doesn't end until the employee physically steps foot onto the work establishment. So, if the employee never got out of the vehicle, then the commute did not end and is therefore not work-related. If the incident occurred the same way but during the normal workday (not during the commute) it would not be excepted and should be recorded.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.5

Illustration for the scenario: Accident in Company Parking Lot During Commute
Have a different situation? Ask RedBeard your recordkeeping question or search all 232 scenarios.

Related scenarios

Q220

Out of Town Meeting

An employee traveled out of town to attend a 2-hour meeting at the direction of his supervisor. The employee arrived the evening before…

Not recordable
Q218

Tool Thief

After clocking out for the day, the employee is walking to their vehicle in the employer-maintained lot. A heavy tool they tucked into…

Recordable
Q209

Bird Bomb

While hauling a bag of trash out to the dumpster an employee was struck in the eye by a Magpie and suffered a corneal abrasion. A doctor…

Recordable

This is guidance based on 29 CFR Part 1904 and OSHA letters of interpretation. Facts and details may be altered or fictional. As specified by OSHA, the employer is responsible for the final recordability determination.