Is Spiderman Covered Under Workers’ Compensation?

The visual that comes to mind is in Spiderman II when Peter Parker is having trouble with his powers. 

The doctor said, “Peter, have a clear mind and focus.”  That little conversation with the doctor leaves Peter sprinting across the top of a high rise building, jumping off, and yelling, “I’m back.”

Peter is descending very rapidly and slams into the side of a brick wall, bounces off a car, and hits the pavement. 

Still dressed in street clothes Peter Parker gets up and grabs his back.  He’s hurt pretty bad.  Good thing he’s Spiderman, because any normal human being would not have gotten up from a fall like that.

Spiderman is a volunteer who fights crime. And, under the standard workers’ compensation policy, would not be covered. Or would he? Could he have his day in court?

The city of New York could have placed an endorsement on their workers’ compensation policy to cover voluntary compensation and employers’ liability.  When workers sustain job-related injuries, they usually are compensated pursuant to the workers’ compensation laws of their state.  How would the people of New York view Spiderman?  Volunteer ….  Super Hero….

On a more serious note

We will leave Spiderman out of the picture and focus on the fact that volunteers can be valuable assets to special events and nonprofit organizations.  Out of good faith, it might be in the best interest of the organization to cover their volunteers. 

• Have you ever held an event and used volunteers? 
• What if one of the volunteers was a good friend and somehow suffered a severe injury?
• How would you feel if they sued you?  Would you care, or brush it off and say they assumed the risk? 

Workers’ compensation laws are in effect in all 50 states.  Coverage can be found by using private insurers, state funds, or assigned risk plans.  There are some states that require you to purchase coverage exclusively through the state.

Iowa is not one of those states.

A great resource on workers compensation in Iowa is www.iowaworkforce.org

Flickr photo by Amadika