Centimark Corp. v. Department of Labor

119 P.3d 865
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedSeptember 12, 2005
Docket54936-7-I
StatusPublished

This text of 119 P.3d 865 (Centimark Corp. v. Department of Labor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Centimark Corp. v. Department of Labor, 119 P.3d 865 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

119 P.3d 865 (2005)

CENTIMARK CORPORATION, Appellant,
v.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIES OF WASHINGTON, Respondent.

No. 54936-7-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

August 15, 2005.
Publication Ordered September 12, 2005.

*866 Aaron Kazuo Owada, Northcraft, Bigby & Owada, PC, Seattle, WA, for Appellant.

Beth Anne Bielefield, Atty Generals Office/Labor & Ind. Div., Olympia, WA, for Respondent.

PUBLISHED IN PART

AGID, J.

¶ 1 The Department of Labor and Industries (L & I) issued Centimark, a nationwide roofing company, a citation for several violations of WAC safety regulations, including two serious, repeat violations, after a Washington Industrial Safety & Health Act (WISHA) safety officer observed Centimark employees working without proper fall protection on the roof of Everett Pad & Paper (EPP). The officer accessed the worksite and performed his safety inspection without a warrant. The Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA) affirmed L & I's citation, and Centimark appeals.

¶ 2 We conclude that Centimark did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in its worksite on EPP's roof, so L & I did not conduct an unconstitutional search. In addition, there was a substantial probability that an injury resulting from the violation would cause death or serious injury. Because L & I had cited Centimark for a similar violation the previous year and Centimark should have known of the current violative condition, BIIA did not err in classifying the violations as "serious" and "repeat." Further, substantial evidence supports BIIA's finding that Centimark failed to prove unpreventable employee misconduct. We affirm.

FACTS

¶ 3 On June 9, 2000, L & I received an anonymous phone call informing them that someone was working without fall protection on the roof of EPP. WISHA Safety Compliance Officer Cameron Fischer drove to EPP to investigate. As Fischer pulled up, he observed three rooftop workers who did not appear to be using any fall protection.[1] After Fischer got out of his car, he took one photograph of the general site and another as he walked toward the building. The second photo shows a warning line system running *867 along the front of the roof, but not along the sides. Fischer then climbed an extension ladder that was leaning against the building and stepped onto the roof. He then took a third photograph that showed one worker, Jason Thao, immediately adjacent to a roof edge that did not have a warning line. Thao was holding one end of a chalk line while the foreman, Nunn Pathammavong, held the other end toward the middle of the roof. Until he was on the roof, Fischer did not see any of the workers within six feet of the edge and could not tell what they were doing.[2]

¶ 4 After taking the third picture, Fischer identified himself and said he was there to perform a safety inspection. He talked to Pathammavong and learned that Centimark employed the workers. Fischer told Pathammavong that he could call Centimark's office if he wanted to let someone else know what was happening. Pathammavong contacted Greg O'Neil, Centimark's Operations Manager, who arrived on site while Fischer was still inspecting the jobsite. From his observations on the roof and his discussions with Pathammavong, Fischer learned that the workers were not using fall restraint or fall arrest systems, and that they were incorrectly using a warning line and safety monitor system. The warning lines did not extend to the sides of the roof and the safety monitor, Pathammavong, was not wearing distinctive clothing and was doing things other than being the safety monitor.[3] Fischer asked to see the fall protection plan for the site, but neither the workers nor O'Neil could find it.[4] Fischer also noticed that Centimark had not appropriately marked the roof access path and was storing work material within six feet of the roof edge. At the end of his inspection, Fischer had closing conferences with both Pathammavong and O'Neil.

¶ 5 L & I cited Centimark for five WAC safety regulation violations: Item 1-1(a) for a repeat, serious violation of WAC 296-155-24515(1) for failing to ensure fall protection for workers on a roof with a fall protection hazard greater than 10 feet; Item 1-1(b) for a repeat, serious violation of WAC 296-155-24505(1) for failing to implement a written fall protection plan; Item 2-1 for a general violation of WAC 296-155-24515(3) for failing to ensure the warning line system was erected around all sides of the work area; Item 2-2 for a general violation of WAC 296-155-24515(3)(c)(I) for failing to ensure a clear roof access path with two warning lines from the ladder to the work area; and Item 2-3 for a general violation of WAC 296-155-24515(4)(f) for failing to ensure that materials were not stored within six feet of the roof edge. The proposed penalty for the Item 1 violations was $1,280.00, with no proposed penalty for the general violations in Item 2.

¶ 6 After Centimark appealed the citation, L & I issued a Corrective Notice of Redetermination (CNR) on August 24, 2000, affirming the citation and associated penalty. Centimark appealed to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA), arguing that L & I's evidence was the fruit of an unconstitutional search and that the evidence and law did not support a citation for the violations. On September 25, 2001, an Industrial Appeals Judge issued a Proposed Decision and Order (PDO) affirming the CNR. On November 30, 2001, BIIA denied Centimark's petition for further review, and the PDO became BIIA's final order. Centimark sought review in Snohomish County Superior Court, and on August 12, 2004, the court affirmed BIIA's order, adopting BIIA's findings of fact and conclusions of law by reference.

*868 DISCUSSION

¶ 7 Centimark argues that Fischer's warrantless inspection of the worksite violated its constitutional privacy rights. We review constitutional issues de novo.[5] Centimark also asserts that BIIA erred in ruling that Centimark's WISHA violations were serious, repeat violations and that it did not prove unpreventable employee misconduct. We sit in the same position as the superior court in reviewing BIIA's decision.[6]

I. Unconstitutional Search

¶ 8 Centimark argues that BIIA erred in not suppressing L & I's evidence because Fischer observed the violations after he came on the worksite without a warrant, thereby violating Centimark's right of privacy. L & I argues that Centimark had no reasonable expectation of privacy in the rooftop worksite. The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures.[7] Article 1, section 7 of the Washington Constitution provides that "[n]o person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law." The exclusionary rule requires suppression of evidence obtained as the result of an unconstitutional search.[8]

¶ 9 A. Gunwall Analysis

¶ 10 As an initial matter, Centimark argues that article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution provides greater protection than the Fourth Amendment. A party asserting that a state constitutional provision is more protective than its federal counterpart must analyze the six Gunwall factors: "(1) the textual language; (2) differences in the texts; (3) constitutional history; (4) preexisting state law; (5) structural differences; and (6) matters of particular state or local concern."[9]

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119 P.3d 865, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/centimark-corp-v-department-of-labor-washctapp-2005.