Which factor could support compensability when drinking condoned by supervisor?

• A. The injury is compensable because the environment condoned drinking.
• B. The injury is not compensable because attendance was voluntary.
• C. The injury is compensable because the attendance at the meeting was not voluntary.
• D. The injury is compensable because the drinking occurred during work hours.

Answer: (A)

When evaluating compensability in workers’ compensation, the key question is whether the injury occurred in the course of employment and arose out of the employment, with the workplace environment influencing the risk. If the supervisor condones drinking, the employer has effectively created or endorsed the scenario in which intoxication occurs. That makes the risky behavior part of the work setting, so an injury that happens in that context is more likely to be considered work-related and compensable. The other factors—attendance being voluntary or not, or drinking simply occurring during work hours—do not, by themselves, establish that the injury arose from the job in the same way that an environment that condones drinking does.