What Is Considered As A Work Injury?

When it comes to work injuries, you need to remember three key elements: work time, work location, and work reason. Think of it as the holy trinity of workplace mishaps.

Now, besides getting hurt while doing your regular job, there are several scenarios that qualify as work injuries. For instance, if you develop an occupational disease, get injured while on a business trip, or have an accident on your commute to work (as long as it wasn’t your fault), you’re covered. Also included are injuries during emergency rescue efforts, participating in company-organized sports or training activities, and so on. But here’s the kicker—if you get hurt while committing a crime, drinking excessively, doing drugs, or engaging in self-harm or suicide, sorry folks, those don’t count as work injuries.

Let’s take a look at what the law says. According to Article 14 of the Work Injury Insurance Regulations, employees must be recognized as having a work injury if they:

1. Are injured due to an accident during work hours and at the workplace while performing their job duties.
2. Are injured while preparing for or finishing up work-related tasks at the workplace, before or after work hours.
3. Suffer violence or other unexpected harm while fulfilling their job responsibilities at the workplace.
4. Contract an occupational disease.
5. Are injured or go missing due to an accident while on a business trip.
6. Are injured in a traffic accident or public transport incident on their way to or from work, as long as they weren’t primarily at fault.

Now, let’s talk paperwork. According to Article 17 of the Work Injury Insurance Regulations, if an employee is injured in an accident or diagnosed with an occupational disease, the employer must apply for work injury recognition within 30 days from the date of the incident or diagnosis.

If the employer fails to apply within this timeframe, you can apply directly to the social insurance administrative department within one year of the incident or diagnosis.

Therefore, if you suffer a work injury, you need to apply for work injury recognition as soon as possible. Check if your employer has enrolled you in social insurance. If they haven’t, you can claim full compensation directly from your employer. If they have, you or your employer should provide medical expense receipts to the social insurance department for reimbursement.

Thank you for watching today’s video. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we will talk about what an entrepreneur visa is and how to get one.