Workplace accidents can happen in nearly any field, no matter how apparently safe. Many employees who are injured on the job are able to seek compensation for their injuries. Still, there are some workers who are excluded from applying for workers’ compensation in the state of Missouri.
Missouri’s Workers’ Compensation Law ensures that employers who have more than five employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. This protects employees in many industries, but there are a few areas that it does not cover. In these situations, workers may have to pursue damages through other means such as litigation or a private arrangement with their employer. To know whether you are excluded from the state’s workers’ compensation laws, take a look at this helpful list:
Who is excluded?
The Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law does not apply to:
- Employees who work for a company that has fewer than five employees
- Laborers or hired hands on a farm
- Domestic workers employed in a private home, such as housekeepers, nannies, cooks and other staff
- People who do occasional labor like odd jobs for private households
- Direct salespeople and qualified real estate agents
- Unpaid volunteers at a tax-exempt charitable organization
- Patients in a hospital
- Inmates who are currently incarcerated
- Residents of the state, county or municipality
- People who provide services for amateur youth programs as contest workers, sports officials, adjudicators or mentors
Employers who have workers in these exempt areas may still choose to have workers’ comp insurance, but most do not. Employees who fall into any of the above categories may have to pursue other legal options in order to receive compensation for their on-the-job injuries.