Opinion ID: 1711433
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of the Willful and Intentional Removal from a Machine of a Safety Guard or Safety Device

Text: Canada contends that his evidence creates a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Goode willfully and intentionally removed a safety device, relying upon Haddock v. Multivac, Inc., 703 So.2d 969 (Ala.Civ.App.1996), and the cases cited therein. In Haddock, the co-employee defendant admitted that he was responsible for the upkeep and safety of the machine on which the plaintiff was injured, but denied that he was aware that the safety guard on the machine had been disengaged. The trial court directed a verdict in favor of the co-employee. The Court of Civil Appeals reversed the trial court's judgment. The Court of Civil Appeals in Haddock looked to whether the nonmovant, the plaintiff, presented substantial evidence to submit the case to a jury, i.e., `evidence of such weight and quality that fair-minded persons in the exercise of impartial judgment [could] reasonably infer the existence of the fact sought to be proved.' Haddock, 703 So.2d at 971 (quoting West v. Founders Life Assurance Co. of Florida, 547 So.2d 870, 871 (Ala.1989)). In analyzing the plaintiff's evidence in Haddock, the Court of Civil Appeals relied on Moore v. Reeves, 589 So.2d 173 (Ala.1991), and Smith v. Wallace, 681 So.2d 1034 (Ala.1995). In Moore, this Court held that a supervisor is guilty of the willful and intentional removal of a safety device under § 25-5-11(c)(2) if the supervisor fails to repair a safety device. 589 So.2d at 178. To hold otherwise would allow supervisory employees to neglect the maintenance and repair of safety equipment provided to protect co-employees from injury, which by its very nature is a clear violation of public policy. Moore, 589 So.2d at 178-79. In Wallace, this Court held that co-employees who, by virtue of their supervisory roles, would have known that the failure to repair a safety device would cause an injury were subject to liability under § 25-5-11(c)(2). 681 So.2d at 1037. Based on those prior cases, the Court of Civil Appeals in Haddock held that the conflicting evidence on the issue whether maintenance personnel were aware of the inoperative condition of a guard established a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the co-employee had properly inspected the guard on the machine. Canada presented testimony from Bragan indicating that Goode's duties included inspecting the department's equipment daily and ensuring that the safety guards were in place. Canada presented Goode's own testimony that he inspected the machines at the start of each day to ensure that the machines were operating properly and safely. Goode testified that the guard on the table saw regularly became worn or damaged. Goode also gave a detailed description of a safety guard that covered both sides of the table saw's blade when the saw was being properly maintained. Goode stated that the guard consisted of two pieces of acrylic plastic that could be raised separately and two spring-loaded metal arms to keep the object being cut from kicking back and striking the operator of the table saw. However, Canada testified that on the day he was injured there was a piece of acrylic plastic dangling on the left side of the blade and that nothing was covering the right side of the blade. Goode responds that Canada has never seen what a safety guard should look like. The fact that Canada has never seen a properly maintained safety guard does not eliminate Goode's responsibility to make sure that an appropriate guard is on the table saw at the start of the day. Furthermore, Canada's ignorance of the components of a properly maintained safety guard only adds weight to the evidence indicating that there was no adequate safety guard on the machine on the day of Canada's accident. In its no-opinion affirmance, the Court of Civil Appeals cited Raines v. Browning-Ferris Industries of Alabama, Inc., 638 So.2d 1334 (Ala.Civ.App.1993), a case in which the plaintiff sued his co-employee alleging that he had been injured as a result of the co-employee's willful conduct under § 25-5-11(c)(2). After a hearing at which evidence was presented ore tenus, the trial court ruled against the plaintiff. The Court of Civil Appeals affirmed the trial court's judgment and stated that the evidence produced at the trial could not establish the co-employee's liability under § 25-5-11(c)(2). Canada argues that Raines is not controlling because in this case the trial court entered a summary judgment whereas in Raines the trial court made findings after hearing ore tenus evidence. While it is true that the cases differ in that respect, a more compelling basis for distinguishing Raines is the fact that the evidence on a pivotal issue was undisputed in Raines and conflicting in this case, the same circumstances present in Haddock. Raines is distinguishable from the present case on the question whether the evidence indicating that the co-employee had knowledge of the defective safety guard is in dispute. In Raines, the plaintiff was injured when the door of a truck he was driving opened and he fell out of the truck. The supervisory defendants submitted affidavits and testimony from the company's employees that company officials had no knowledge of any problems with the door [of the truck]; that the daily reports, compiled by the truck's drivers, did not indicate any door problem immediately prior to Raines's accident. 638 So.2d at 1338. Furthermore, an independent mechanic found no problem with the door immediately after Raines's accident. The Court of Civil Appeals distinguished Raines from Moore v. Reeves , where the evidence was undisputed that the supervisors had knowledge of the defective vehicle door. The opinion in Raines does not reflect that the plaintiff offered any evidence to dispute the supervisors' claims that they had no knowledge that door was defective. In the present case, while Goode presented evidence that he had no knowledge that the safety guard on the table saw was missing or improperly maintained before and/or after Canada's accident, Canada's testimony paints an entirely different picture. Canada has presented testimony from Goode indicating that Goode inspected the table saw daily to ensure that the saw was safe and operable. As previously noted, Canada's and Goode's descriptions of the configuration of safety guards on the saw on the day of the injury varied greatly. Accordingly, Raines, in which the plaintiff did not contradict the co-employees' evidence indicating that they had no knowledge of the failure to maintain the safety device  the door of the truck  cannot serve as a basis for affirming the trial court's summary judgment. Goode's evidence indicating that he lacked knowledge that the condition of the safety guard on the saw was improper is directly contradicted by Canada's testimony. Based upon these differing descriptions and in light of our previously noted obligation to review the record in a light most favorable to the nonmovant, while resolving all reasonable doubts against the movant, we conclude that a jury should be given the chance to weigh the testimony of the witnesses and determine their credibility regarding the existence and condition of the safety guard on the day of Canada's accident and the extent of Goode's knowledge of the condition of the safety guard. Canada presented sufficient evidence to the trial court to create a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Goode's conduct falls within § 25-5-11(c)(2). Of course, we deal only with whether a jury question is presented, leaving to the jury the decision of whether liability is appropriate under the evidence presented at trial.