Parks v. Libby-Owens-Ford Glass Co.

195 N.E. 616, 360 Ill. 130
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedApril 17, 1935
DocketNo. 22899. Judgment affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 195 N.E. 616 (Parks v. Libby-Owens-Ford Glass Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parks v. Libby-Owens-Ford Glass Co., 195 N.E. 616, 360 Ill. 130 (Ill. 1935).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Farthing

delivered the opinion of the court:

James Parks (hereinafter called the plaintiff) filed a complaint in the superior court of Cook county against the Libby-Owens-Ford Glass Company (hereinafter called the defendant) to recover damages for permanent injury to his health by alleged willful violations of section 1 of the Occupational Diseases act and sections 12 and 13 of the Health, Safety and Comfort act. The defendant moved to dismiss the complaint and later filed two amendments to its written motion. The motion to dismiss, as amended, was sustained on each of the points specified. The plaintiff elected to abide by his pleading, an order was entered that he take nothing by his suit, and judgment for costs was rendered against him and in favor of the defendant. From that judgment the plaintiff prosecutes this appeal.

For many years prior to January 1, 1934, the defendant was manufacturing glass in the city of Ottawa. In operating its factory such work was done as cleaning, sweeping and scraping floors. Vacuum lifters were used around the lay-gáng and mixing tables and buckets carried materials to the mixers. Hot air was blown on the tables where the glass was made. During these operations sand dust, glass dust and other dusts floated in the air to such an extent as to be deleterious to the health of the employees. For several years prior to January 1, 1934, the plaintiff had worked in several departments of the factory and had been exposed to the inhalation of the dusts mentioned. By his complaint he charged that the defendant had violated section 1 of the Occupational Diseases act by its willful failure to provide proper suction fans, masks, respirators or other devices to effectively prevent him from inhaling the dusts; section 12 of the Health, Safety and Comfort act by its negligent failure to remove as far as practicable, by either ventilating or exhaust devices, the injurious dusts from the premises where he worked, and section 13 of this latter act by negligently causing and permitting the premises to be swept so as to raise these dusts, and that as a result of such violations he contracted pneumoconiosis and became totally disabled.

In support of its motion and the judgment defendant contends: (1) That the trial court was without jurisdiction to hear and determine the cause because the occupation in which the plaintiff was engaged was not within the provisions of section 1 of the Occupational Diseases act; (2) that section 1 of this act and sections 12 and 13 of the Health, Safety "and Coriifort act violate the due process provisions of the Federal and State constitutions; and (3) that they contravene article 3 of the constitution of this State.

To obtain a reversal of the judgment the plaintiff contends that the court had jurisdiction of the particular cause and that the respective statutes are not open to the constitutional objections interposed. The determination of these contentions necessitates a review of the pertinent provisions of the Occupational Diseases act.

Section 1 of that act (Cahill’s Stat. 1933, p. 1375; Smith’s Stat. 1933, p. 1401;) reads: “That every employer of labor in this State, engaged in carrying on any work or process which may produce any illness or disease peculiar to the work or process carried on, or which subjects the employees to the danger of illness or disease incident to such work or process, to which employees are not ordinarily exposed in other lines of employment, shall, for the protection of all employees engaged in such work or process, adopt and provide reasonable and approved devices, means or methods for the prevention of such industrial or occupational diseases as are incident to such work or process.” Section 2 provides that every employer engaged in the carrying on of any process of manufacture or labor in which lead derivatives or paris green is employed, used or handled, or the manufacture of brass or the smelting of lead or zinc, or in any process of manufacture or labor in which poisonous chemicals, minerals or other substances are used or handled by the employees therein in harmful quantities or under harmful conditions, shall provide clothing for the use of such employees while so engaged and shall maintain the clothing furnished in good condition, and in case of noxious or poisonous dusts shall provide adequate and approved respirators and maintain them in good condition for such employees. The succeeding eight sections, 3 to 10, inclusive, relate solely to employments within the provisions of section 2, and specifically prescribe not only the protective devices to be furnished by, but also the duties required of, such employers. Section 3 commands that every employer engaged in any process or manufacture referred to in the second section shall provide monthly medical examinations for the purpose of ascertaining the existence of industrial or occupational diseases. Sections 4 and 5 provide that the examining physician shall make immediate reports to the State Board of Health, which is directed to transmit copies to the Department of Factory Inspection. The sixth section prescribes that every employer under section 2 shall provide separate dressing rooms and lavatories for the use of employees who are exposed to poisonous or injurious dusts, fumes and gases. These lavatories are required to be maintained in a clean and wholesome manner and provided with adequate washing facilities. The dressing rooms, it is further provided, shall be furnished with clothes presses or compartments, to the end that the ordinary street apparel of such employees shall be kept separate from their working clothes. Section 7 requires that special eating places and drinking-water facilities shall be provided by employers engaged in any process or manufacture designated in the second section. By the eighth section such employers are required to maintain adequate devices for carrying off poisonous or injurious fumes and injurious dust. It further provides that the floors be kept in a smooth and hard condition, and that sweeping shall be permitted during working hours only where the floors. are dampened to prevent the circulation of dust. The ninth section declares that employers shall provide specified means for the cleaning of flues in any process of manufacture within section 2; that all floors shall be washed or scrubbed at least once every working day; that work attended by poisonous fumes, dusts and gases shall, where practicable, be carried on in separate rooms and under cover of some suitable device to remove the danger to the health of the employees so far as may be reasonably consistent with "the manufacturing process, and that the fixtures and tools employed shall be thoroughly washed and cleaned at reasonable intervals. The tenth section provides, among other things, that all hoppers or chutes or like devices used in the course of any process of manufacture referred to in section 2 shall, where practicable, be provided with hoods or coverings and an apparatus for drawing away from the employees noxious, poisonous or injurious dusts.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bogner v. Airco, Inc.
353 F. Supp. 2d 977 (C.D. Illinois, 2005)
Opinion No.
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1988
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1988
Spinelli v. Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Inc.
494 N.E.2d 196 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1986)
McElroy v. State
667 S.W.2d 856 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Hosein v. Checker Taxi Co.
419 N.E.2d 568 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1981)
Meyerson v. Carter
316 N.E.2d 240 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1974)
Community Consolidated School District No. 210 v. Mini
284 N.E.2d 343 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1972)
Berk v. County of Will
218 N.E.2d 98 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1966)
Mister Softee of Illinois, Inc. v. City of Chicago
192 N.E.2d 424 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1963)
Memorial Trusts, Inc. v. Berry
356 P.2d 884 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1960)
Huckaba v. Cox
150 N.E.2d 832 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1958)
Kennerly v. Shell Oil Co.
150 N.E.2d 134 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1958)
Pickens v. Adams
131 N.E.2d 38 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1955)
Grasse v. Dealer's Transport Co.
106 N.E.2d 124 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1952)
Schuman v. Chicago Transit Authority
95 N.E.2d 447 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1950)
Natt v. Suburban Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District
95 N.E.2d 611 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1950)
Natt v. SUBURBAN COOK CTY., SANITARIUM DIST.
95 N.E.2d 611 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1950)
People Ex Rel. Armstrong v. Huggins
94 N.E.2d 863 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
195 N.E. 616, 360 Ill. 130, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parks-v-libby-owens-ford-glass-co-ill-1935.