Garza v. McCain Foods, Inc.

103 P.3d 848
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided December 28, 2004·No. 22276-4-III·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinion

103 P.3d 848 (2004)

Heidi GARZA and Ruben Garza, husband and wife, Appellants,
v.
McCAIN FOODS, INC., a foreign corporation, Defendant,
The Horsley Company, a Utah corporation, and PCE Enterprises, Inc., a Washington corporation, Respondents.

No. 22276-4-III.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 3, Panel Six.

December 28, 2004.

*850 David B. Trujillo, Law Offices of David B. Trujillo, Yakima, WA, for Appellant.

David L. Martin, Frank A. Cornelius, Jr., Alison H. Killebrew, Lee, Smart, Cook et al, Seattle, WA, Jennifer D. Gaffaney, Michael L. Haman, Quane, Smith LLP, Coeur D'Alene, ID, for Respondents.

SCHULTHEIS, J.

This is a personal injury suit. Our disposition turns on whether two contractors are insulated from liability by Washington's version of the completion and acceptance doctrine. That doctrine insulates a contractor from negligence claims if its work is completed and accepted by the owner, and done strictly according to the owner's specifications. We conclude that the doctrine does not apply here because a question of fact remains as to whether the construction resulted in an inherently or imminently dangerous condition. Such a condition is excepted from the completion and acceptance rule. We also conclude that the results of the contract here (for electrical and mechanical construction services) produced no product to be introduced into the stream of commerce. Therefore Heidi and Ruben Garza have not stated a viable cause of action under chapter 7.72 RCW (product liability act). We therefore reverse the trial court's summary dismissal of the Garzas' causes of action for negligence but affirm its dismissal of their product liability claim.

FACTS

The Horsley Company assembled and installed a conveyor system in the Chef Reddy plant in the early 1970s. Horsley bought the component parts necessary to assemble and install the conveyor, and installed it according to the manufacturer's specifications. Around 1988, Chef Reddy sold its plant to McCain Foods, Inc.

McCain renovated its production line sometime after 1989. This included changes to the conveyor system. McCain contracted with PCE Enterprises, Inc. for the electrical work. PCE did the electrical work according to detailed electrical drawings by McCain's engineer. The contract between PCE and McCain required that PCE implement designs prepared by Perkings Engineering and D. Hittle Engineering. That design did not provide for an easily accessible shutoff switch.

PCE finished its work in February 1991. Horsley then moved, shortened, and reconfigured some equipment, including the conveyor, and installed some new equipment.

Heidi Garza worked at McCain. On August 12, 1996, she tried to remove a long strip of packing tape hanging from an overhead inclined conveyor belt. She reached to pull the tape off the frame. The active conveyer belt pulled her arm into roller guides and injured her. The conveyor was not equipped with either safety guards or a shutoff switch. The absence of each contributed to the injury.

Ms. Garza and her husband sued PCE for negligence. Against Horsley they claimed negligence as well as strict liability (Washington's product liability act) for defective design and failure to provide adequate warnings or instructions. PCE and Horsley moved for summary judgment. They argued that their work had been completed and accepted by the owner, McCain.[1] They were, therefore, insulated from liability as a matter of law. The trial judge agreed and dismissed the complaint.

DISCUSSION

The Garzas concede that the work done by these defendants falls within the scope of the completion and acceptance rule. But they contend that one or both of the *851 exceptions to that rule apply. Or at least they have raised a question of fact as to whether the exceptions apply.

We review a summary dismissal de novo. Hadley v. Maxwell, 144 Wash.2d 306, 310, 27 P.3d 600 (2001). In doing so we engage in the same inquiry as the trial court. Wilson v. Steinbach, 98 Wash.2d 434, 437, 656 P.2d 1030 (1982).

The Garzas' negligence claims against PCE and Horsley must be based on the common law duty of reasonable care to foreseeable users not to create foreseeable risk of harm. King v. City of Seattle, 84 Wash.2d 239, 248, 525 P.2d 228 (1974). Here, injury from an industrial conveyor belt without pinch point guards or an accessible shutoff switch is sufficiently foreseeable to impose a general duty of reasonable care on PCE and Horsley. The question is whether despite that they are insulated from liability by the completion and acceptance rule.

COMPLETION AND ACCEPTANCE DOCTRINE

Washington subscribes to the completion and acceptance rule. Once a contractor's work has been completed and accepted by the owner "`the contractor is not liable to third persons for damages or injuries subsequently suffered by reason of the condition of the work, even though he was negligent in carrying out the contract.'" Andrews v. Del Guzzi, 56 Wash.2d 381, 388, 353 P.2d 422 (1960) (quoting 65 C.J.S. 613); First Church of Christ Scientist v. City of Seattle, 92 Wash.App. 229, 231, 964 P.2d 374 (1998).

The work done by these contractors was done in accordance with the owner's plans and specifications and was accepted by the owner, McCain Foods.

The Garzas rely on the two recognized exceptions to the completion and acceptance rule. First, contractors remain liable for injuries to third parties if their work results in an inherently or imminently dangerous condition. Andrews, 56 Wash.2d at 388, 353 P.2d 422. However, the term "inherently dangerous" is not restricted to things that are imminently dangerous all the time, like poisons or explosives, as Horsley and PCE suggest.

In the context of the completion and acceptance doctrine, the generally accepted definition is that framed by Judge Benjamin Cardozo for defective products. A thing is inherently dangerous if the nature and quality of it is reasonably certain "to place life and limb in peril." MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co., 217 N.Y. 382, 389, 111 N.E. 1050 (1916).[2] Whether the result of the work is imminently or inherently dangerous is then a question of fact generally calling for expert testimony. Andrews, 56 Wash.2d at 386-87, 353 P.2d 422. So is the question of whether the condition was the proximate cause of the injuries. Id. at 388-89, 353 P.2d 422. A conveyor is not inherently dangerous when a stop/reverse switch is provided at the pinch point. Standard Conveyor Co. v. Scott, 221 F.2d 460, 461 (8th Cir.1955) (applying Missouri law). But that switch is missing here.

The court in Andrews approved the following jury instructions:

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Garza v. McCain Foods, Inc., 103 P.3d 848 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004).

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