Case Title: State ex rel. Wiers Farms Co. v. Indus. Comm.

Citation: 1994-Ohio-400

Docket Number: 19931077

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 1994-07-13T00:00:00Z

Document:
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The State ex rel. Wiers Farms Company, Appellant, v. Industrial                  
Commission of Ohio et al., Appellees.                                            
[Cite as State ex rel. Wiers Farms Co. v. Indus. Comm.                           
(1994),      Ohio St.3d      .]                                                  
Workers' compensation -- Industrial Commission does not abuse                    
     its discretion in finding that a claimant injured on a                      
     farm was injured in a workshop, when -- Ohio Adm.Code                       
     Chapter 4121:1-5, applied.                                                  
     (No. 93-1077 -- Submitted May 16, 1994 -- Decided July 13,                  
1994.)                                                                           
     Appeal from the Court of Appeals for Franklin County, No.                   
92AP-391.                                                                        
     Appellee-claimant, Steven R. Kennedy, was injured on                        
October 3, 1985 during the course of and arising from his                        
employment with appellant, Wiers Farms Company.  Claimant was                    
placing celery on a moving conveyor when the conveyor's                          
unguarded drive belt caught his glove and pulled him into the                    
machinery.                                                                       
     It is undisputed that the closest shutoff switch was                        
approximately eight feet from claimant's work station.  It is                    
also agreed that the conveyor belt had no guarding or other                      
protection.  Photos of the accident site revealed that the                       
conveyor was located with other machinery inside of a large                      
building located on the farm.                                                    
     After his workers' compensation claim was allowed,                          
claimant sought additional compensation, alleging that                           
appellant had violated several specific safety requirements.  A                  
staff hearing officer for appellee Industrial Commission of                      
Ohio found violations of Ohio Adm. Code 4121:1-5-05(C)(2)                        
(conveyors must have power shutoff at contact points) and                        
(C)(4) (conveyor pinch points must be guarded).  Among other                     
findings made in an extremely detailed order, the staff hearing                  
officer rejected appellant's defense that Ohio Adm. Code                         
Chapter 4121:1-5, governing "workshops and factories," did not                   
apply to farms.  The staff hearing officer reasoned that                         
consistent with the definition of "workshop" put forth earlier                   
by the Franklin County Court of Appeals in State ex rel. York                    
Temple Country Club, Inc. v. Indus. Comm. (Apr. 18, 1985), No.                   
84AP-818, unreported, the "structure and machinery wherein                       
Claimant was injured, does, at least, meet that threshold                        
test."  (Emphasis added.)                                                        
     Appellant filed a complaint for a writ of mandamus in the                   
Court of Appeals for Franklin County, claiming that the                          
commission abused its discretion in applying the specific                        
safety requirement to it.  The appellate court denied the writ.                  
     This cause is now before this court upon an appeal as of                    
right.                                                                           
                                                                                 
     Jack L. Johnson, for appellant.                                             
     Lee I. Fisher, Attorney General, and Janie D. Roberts,                      
Assistant Attorney General, for appellees Industrial Commission                  
and Administrator, Bureau of Workers' Compensation.                              
                                                                                 
     Per Curiam.  Based on our decision in State ex rel. Buurma                  
Farms, Inc. v. Indus. Comm. (1994), 69 Ohio St.3d 111, 630                       
N.E.2d 686, the judgment of the court of appeals is hereby                       
affirmed.                                                                        
                                         Judgment affirmed.                      
     Moyer, C.J., A.W. Sweeney, Douglas, Wright, Resnick and                     
F.E. Sweeney, JJ., concur.                                                       
     Pfeifer, J., dissents.