In addition to employees who perform basic business operations, nearly all businesses have clerical office workers. These activities, referred to as Standard Exceptions, are a deviation from the one-business, one-classification rule. Since clerical office work activities are commonly performed and carry a relatively low risk of injury, most businesses are permitted to use these Standard Exception classifications for the workers who conduct exclusively clerical or outside sales work.
Classification 8810, Clerical Office Employees, is applicable to workers who are engaged exclusively (100 percent) in clerical activities with no additional duties. In addition, clerical office employees must work in a separate area within which no work other than clerical office work is performed. For this reason, Classification 8810 is not applicable to production managers, supervisors and similar employees who spend most but not all of their workday in a clerical environment. It is not permissible to divide a worker's payroll between Classification 8810 and any other classification.
Example – Assignable to 8810
An automobile repair facility employs a bookkeeper to maintain financial records. This employee processes invoices exclusively in the repair facility's back office. In this instance, the bookkeeper must be assigned to Classification 8810.
Example – Not Assignable to 8810
An automobile repair facility employs a bookkeeper to maintain financial records. This employee works primarily in the repair facility's back office, but occasionally must enter the garage to retrieve paperwork and status reports on specific jobs. In this instance, the bookkeeper cannot be assigned to Classification 8810 because this employee must occasionally enter the garage and is exposed to hazards outside those of a strictly clerical office worker.
It is permissible for a clerical employee to enter through the repair facility area and walk through it to their office if that is the only available entrance, as long as the employee does not enter the repair area during the course of conducting their duties.
Some industry classifications specifically include "Clerical Office Employees" in their description or phraseology. Typically, this is due to the difficulty in distinguishing between clerical and non-clerical activities for these classifications. The pure premium rates for these classifications are calculated including all of the clerical office payroll and loss data associated with these industries. When an industry classification specifically includes clerical office employees, it is not permissible to separately assign clerical office employees to Classification 8810, Clerical Office Employees, even when the clerical office employees work at a separate location.
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