Haugen v. State Accident Insurance Fund

Claimant, a Port of Portland (Port) police officer, suffered a back injury at home during non-working hours while exercising with weights. The issue on appeal is whether the claim was compensable. We hold that it was not and reverse the decision of the Workers’ Compensation Board.

The evidence indicates that police officers for the Port perform functions that require that they be on their feet much of the time and that on occasion they may have to use physical force in effectuating an arrest or crowd control. The written job specifications require that officers "must be in good physical…