Section 301(c)(1) of the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act provides that there are two situations where an injury can be considered in the course of employment. The first is where an employee is actually engaged in the furtherance of the employer's business, whether on or off the premises. In the second situation, an employee who is engaged in work at the time of the injury can nonetheless be entitled to compensation where the employee: is on the premises under the control of the employer; is required by the nature of their employment to be on such premises; and sustains an injury or injuries due to a condition of the premises or operation of the business.

There are several cases where the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has reviewed the facts and determined that an injury was caused by a condition of the premises. In Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (Slaugenhaupt) v. United States Steel, 376 A.2d 271 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1977), the Commonwealth Court dealt with a claimant who suffered an epileptic seizure and crashed his car into a concrete barrier on the employer's premises. The court found that while the seizure caused the accident, the claimant's fatal injuries resulted from the force of the car striking the concrete barrier that was a condition of the premises that contributed to the claimant's death.