Falling out of a chair can be embarrassing, but more importantly it can cause you to suffer an injury. When it happens at work you may be entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation benefits, depending on the circumstances.
In Illinois, whether or not your chair accident is considered employment-related may, though, depend more on what was under your chair than what was in it.
For the injury to be connected enough to your work to warrant workers’ compensation benefits, you have to ask yourself: was there a risk involved in this accident that the general public is not exposed to? To answer the question, look at the work environment, including the type of flooring the chair was on, the condition of the floor, and the style of the chair.
Your accident is not likely to be connected to your work if, for example, the chair was a fairly typical straight-backed type of chair. Similarly, if the chair was on wheels, but was sitting on carpeting or a stabilizing mat, then falling out of the chair is probably not tied to your work environment.
If, though, there is something extra about the set-up that causes more movement than a chair ordinarily would or should, then that could be an increased risk of your employment. This would include wheeled chairs that were sitting on hard or slippery surfaces like linoleum tile, or sitting on a sloped floor. This would also include chairs that had a particular style that promoted movement from side to side or front to back.
Looking at these factors will help determine whether your employment is connected enough to your fall to entitle you to workers’ compensation benefits. If there was some added element that created increased chair movement, then your fall from the chair could likely recover benefits for your injury.
We are workers’ compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.