Case Title: Brewster v. Salveson Const., Inc.

Citation: 

Docket Number: 88-68

State: wyoming

Court: Wyoming Supreme Court

Date: 1988-12-15T00:00:00Z

Document:
Brewster v. Salveson Const., Inc.1988 WY 157765 P.2d 1350Case Number: 88-68Decided: 12/15/1988Supreme Court of Wyoming
DAVID DOUGLAS BREWSTER, 
APPELLANT (PLAINTIFF),

v.

SALVESON CONSTRUCTION, 
INC., A WYOMING CORPORATION, APPELLEE (DEFENDANT).

Appeal from the District 
Court, NiobraraCounty, John T. Langdon, 
J.

George Zunker 
and Ronald E. Triggs of Sullivan & Zunker, Cheyenne, for appellant.

Richard P. Boley 
of Lathrop, Rutledge & Boley, P.C., Cheyenne, for appellee.

Before CARDINE, C.J., and THOMAS, URBIGKIT, MACY 
and GOLDEN, JJ.

GOLDEN, 
Justice.

[¶1.]     This is an appeal from 
an order granting summary judgment to the general contractor, Salveson 
Construction Inc. (Salveson), and against appellant David Douglas Brewster 
(Brewster), an independent contractor's employee. This case requires us to apply 
our analysis in Hill v. Pacific Power and Light Company, 765 P.2d 1348 
(Wyo. 1988). 
As a result, we affirm the summary judgment.

[¶2.]     Our standard of review 
of an order granting summary judgment appears in Johnston v. Conoco, Inc., 758 P.2d 566, 568 (Wyo. 1988). We apply that standard here.

[¶3.]     The State of Wyoming, by the Board of Charities and Reform, contracted 
with Salveson to move dirt for site preparation and to lay underground plumbing 
in relation to the construction of the Wyoming Women's Center (Center) in 
Lusk, Wyoming. In turn, Salveson subcontracted with 
Empire Mobile Plumbing, Inc. (Empire) to perform the plumbing work, and more 
specifically, to construct water and sewer lines to and from the Center site. 
Empire employed Brewster as a backhoe operator and 
laborer.

[¶4.]     On or before October 
26, 1982, Salveson had completed its site grading operation on the job site and 
removed its personnel and equipment from the job site. Salveson's site 
preparation work, including all fill, compaction and grading, had been completed 
and was in the condition as finally accepted by the project's engineers as of 
October 26, 1982.

[¶5.]     On October 27, 1982, a 
water line previously laid by Empire developed a leak. Only Empire employees 
were at this water line leak site on this day. At 8:00 a.m., Empire's backhoe 
operator, Don Watson, opened a trench in which the leaking water line lay. 
Watson was responsible for the manner in which the trench was opened. Also 
operating a backhoe on this day was Brewster, who had been assigned that work 
activity by Empire's president, John Barry. Brewster's co-employee, Marty Wayne 
Moody, began working in the trench around 9:00 a.m.; the trench contained about 
one and one-half feet of standing water. The trench conformed to other trenches 
previously dug by Empire, and the walls were not shored and not graded to an 
angle of repose.

[¶6.]     According to Brewster, 
his personal habit was to grade trench walls to an angle of repose. During the 
time Brewster and Moody worked for Empire, no materials were ever available to 
shore a trench or other excavation. 

[¶7.]     After Brewster's 
co-employee Watson opened the trench, and at a time when the trench was in 
essentially the same condition as when it collapsed causing Brewster's injury, 
Empire's Barry arrived at the site and twice inspected the excavation. Barry at 
no time requested that shoring materials be used or that the trench site be 
graded to an angle of repose. Shortly after Barry's inspection, Moody asked 
backhoe operator Watson to increase the grade on the walls as several portions 
of the trench had previously fallen. Watson dug away a portion of the right side 
of the excavation, but not the full length of the trench. Watson did not grade 
the trench to an angle of repose; rather, he simply cut away a portion of it to 
permit additional working room and to try preventing the wall's 
collapse.

[¶8.]     Around 3:45 p.m. that 
day, Empire's crew supervisor, Loren Malone, ordered Brewster to bail water from 
the trench, which still stood at one and one-half feet. Malone, acting under 
authority given by Empire's Barry, was in charge of the site and the excavation 
at all times that day. Brewster said he was in the trench bailing water for only 
a few minutes when the trench collapsed, causing his 
injury.

[¶9.]     According to Empire's 
Barry, Salveson's expertise was not in the plumbing area; Empire was hired as a 
plumbing contractor or utility contractor because that was its area of 
expertise. Under the written subcontract agreement between Salveson and Empire, 
Empire was to:

1. furnish all material 
and perform all work necessary to complete the work in accordance with the 
general conditions, special conditions, plans and specifications and contract 
documents between Salveson and the state;

2. comply with all 
applicable state and federal statutes as well as applicable rules and 
regulations of state and federal regulatory bodies, including federal 
OSHA;

3. indemnify Salveson 
from liability for injuries to persons on account of any act or omission of 
Empire or Empire's employees;

4. hold Salveson harmless 
from all material, labor, and appliance liens and claims asserted by persons 
furnishing material or labor in connection with the 
subcontract;

5. employ satisfactory 
workers who were to work in harmony with Salveson's workers and remove any 
workers immediately who were not satisfactory to Salveson; 
and

6. furnish all tools, 
equipment, scaffolding, etc., connected with its work.

[¶10.]  According to Brewster, Empire was 
supposed to have safety meetings every Monday morning before the work started. 
Only two meetings were held, at which only general safety subjects were 
discussed. At one meeting the employees discussed the buddy system in trenching. 
After Empire discontinued its safety meetings, Empire's foremen told the 
employees to sign a mimeograph form to signify attendance at a safety meeting 
that was never held. According to Empire's Barry, Empire's safety meetings were 
conducted for the people working in the most hazardous areas, which were the 
ditches. In Barry's deposition testimony he stated Empire's subcontract 
agreement with Salveson probably required Empire to conduct safety meetings. He 
testified that no one from Salveson attended or taught Empire's safety meetings. 
Further, Barry stated Salveson had no role in Empire's safety program and never 
issued safety orders to Empire's employees. Barry agreed that Salveson's 
contract with Empire was limited to making sure Empire complied with the plans 
and specifications of the contract. Barry also stated that Salveson never asked 
Empire to dig up pipe and lay it again. In reply to one of several hypothetical 
questions asked by Brewster's counsel concerning whether Salveson would tell 
Empire's trench workers to stop digging an unsafe excavation if he saw them 
doing it, Barry answered, "He would probably come and tell me and then I would 
go. * * * I don't think Gary Salveson * * * would go and tell anybody else's 
employees you stop doing that. You generally go to the supervisor or whoever if 
you're concerned with something." 

[¶11.]  As the statement of facts shows, 
Salveson, as movant for summary judgment, presented evidence through deposition 
testimony, affidavit testimony, and the Salveson-Empire subcontract agreement 
establishing that no genuine issue of material fact existed concerning Empire's 
being an independent contractor and Salveson's: 1) not retaining the right to 
control Empire's work in repairing the leaking water line which flooded the 
trench that collapsed on Brewster; and 2) not assuming affirmative duties for 
the safety of Empire's repair work on the water line in that 
trench.

[¶12.]  Because of Salveson's evidentiary 
presentation, the burden then shifted to Brewster to present facts refuting 
Salveson's showing. Brewster failed to carry that burden. Salveson's unrefuted 
evidentiary showing fits within the rule followed in Hill.

[¶13.]  AFFIRMED.