When an airline’s employee is preoccupied with helping passengers, flying at a cruising altitude of 39,000 feet in the sky, they may not be thinking about how they are at risk for injuries on the job. Workers compensation claims are becoming more and more common within the airline industry. Airline employees include positions such as flight attendants, baggage handlers, cockpit crew members, and ground crew members.

One of the leading causes of airline workers’ compensation is in-flight turbulence.

An airlines employee may be thrown around due to turbulence during a flight and that can cause them to suffer neck, back, spinal, or head injuries. According to the FAA, an estimated 4,500 turbulence-related injuries occur from luggage that is improperly secured, followed by reports that reveal negligence in flights where turbulence caused injuries.

In many areas of the law, one of the most important factors is where an event in question took place. But, under the Illinois workers’ compensation system, where a work injury takes place is not nearly as important your relationship to your employer. You may still be covered by Illinois worker’s compensation law even while you are out of the state.

Traveling Outside of Illinois for Work

All Illinois employers are required to have workers’ compensation insurance for their employees. If you are hurt while performing the duties of your job, it often does not matter who is at fault for the accident; your injuries should be covered by workers’ compensation insurance. However, what if your job requires you to travel outside of the state?

A bill currently pending in the Illinois legislature would put limitations on an employer’s liability for injuries an employee receives while traveling on the way to work.

Senate Bill 2622 , introduced by State Sen. Kyle McCarter (R, Lebanon), would not require employers to provide workers compensation benefits for an employee who becomes injured if the employee was not traveling for work purposes when the injury occurs.

The bill is aimed for employees who are required to travel in connection with their job. It says compensation for an injury that occurs while traveling will only be provided “if the injury arises out of and in the course of employment while he or she is actively engaged in the duties of employment.”