Republic Supply Co. v. Davis

1932 OK 592, 14 P.2d 222, 159 Okla. 21, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 545
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 6, 1932
Docket23523
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1932 OK 592 (Republic Supply Co. v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Republic Supply Co. v. Davis, 1932 OK 592, 14 P.2d 222, 159 Okla. 21, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 545 (Okla. 1932).

Opinion

OULLISON, J.

This is an original proceeding before this court to review an order and award of the State Industrial Commission made and entered on the 16th day of March, 1932, in favor of Charles P. Davis.

Said award, omitting the formal parts, was as follows:

“(1) That the claimant herein on and prior to June 16, 1931, was in the employment of this respondent and engaged in a hazardous occupation covered by and subject to the terms and provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.
“ (2) Arising out of and in the course of his said employment claimant, on June 16, 1931, sustained an accidental personal Injury resulting in a right hernia, and due to said condition claimant was and is at this time totally disabled from the performance of ordinary manual labor, since June 18, 1932.
“(3j The Commission further finds: That respondent nor insurance carrier herein has tendered the claimant herein the necessary operation for the correction of said hernia, as provided by section 7290, O. O. S. 1921, and that claimant has been, since said injury, and is now in need of such operation.
“(4) That the average wage of claimant at the time of said injury was $175 per month.
“The Commission is of the opinion: On consideration of the foregoing facts, that claimant is entitled to compensation at the rate of $18 per week computed from June 18, 1931, less the statutory 5-day waiting period, to February 24, 1932. for the temporary total disability hereinbefore mentioned ; and
“The Commission is further of the opinion : On consideration of said facts, that claimant is in need of an operation to correct said hernia, and that respondent’or its insurance carrier herein shouhl forthwith tender to claimant said operation, as provided by section 7290 of the Workmen’s Compensation Law.
“It is therefore ordered: That within 15 days from this date the respondent or its insurance carrier herein pay to claimant the sum of $633, being compensation at the rate of $18 per week, computed from June 23, 1931, to February 24, 1932, for the temporary total disability hereinbefore described; and
“It is further ordered: That respondent or Its insurance carrier forthwith tender to claimant the necessary operation for the correction of said hernia, as provided by section 7290 of the Workmen’s Compensation Law of this state.”

The petition in error sets forth seven assignments of .error which petitioners discuss in their brief under four propositions:

First Proposition.
“ Claimant being a sole employee, his claim was not within the jurisdiction of the Industrial Commission. ”

It will be observed petitioners contend that the record shows that claimant was a sole employee, and that, under section 7285, C. O. S. 1921, as amended by chapter 61, Session Laws of 1923, explicitly excepting from the operation of the law employers who shall employ less than two workmen, the Commission was without jurisdiction to order petitioners to pay claimant compensation.

Section 7285, just referred to, provides:

“* * * Provided, tha,t the provisions of this act shall not apply to any employer if he shall employ less than two workmen. * * *»

This necessitates an examination of the record upon this point. While claimant’s testimony is conflicting on the question of whether or not he had an assistant working with him at the warehouse, he did testify that the Republic Supply Company (his employer and one of the petitioners herein) had its main office in Houston, Tex., with a branch office in Tulsa; that claimant worked out of the Tulsa branch, .and that they had warehouses all. over the state of Oklahoma. Claimant further testified that he reported the matter to his supervisors, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Underwood, employees of the Republic Supply Company.

We observe that the statute just referred to does not require that two workmen be employed at the same place, but the liability for accidental personal injuries to employees attaches to the employers in certain hazardous occupations when they employ two or more workmen. It 'is the number of employees that is material. The finding by the Commission of the number of workmen employed is one of fact. (Grace v. Vaught, 108 Okla. 187, 235 P. 590:) It will be remembered that claimant testified that petitioners were employing other help in Texas and Oklahoma. Therefore, said finding will not be disturbed upon review by this court, where there is any competent evidence reasonably tending to support the same, in view of section 7294, C. O. S. 1921, as amended by section 7, ch. 61. Session Laws of 1923 [O. S. 1931, sec. 13360].

*23 After a careful consideration of the evidence adduced on .this point, we are of the opinion and hold that the same reasonably tends to support the fact that the petitioner Republic Supply Company employed two or more employees, and that the Commission did not exceed its jurisdiction as contended for by petitioners.

Petitioners next contend:

Second Proposition.
“Claimant was not engaged in a hazardous occupation as defined by the Compensation Act and the Commission was without jurisdiction to enter the award.”

The above contention is predicated upon section 7283, C. O. S. 1921, as amended by chapter 61, Session Laws 1928, [O. S. 1931, sec. 13349]. Said section lists the hazardous employments included in and covered by the act. The part thereof pertinent to the case at bar is as follows:

“* * * Wholesale mercantile establishments (employees employed exclusively as clerical workers excepted). * * *”

Section 7284 then defines “hazardous employment” as manual or mechanical work or labor connected with or incident to those employments named in section 7283, supra. Therefore, if an employee is injured while engaged in manual or mechanical work or labor connected with or incident to any one of the employments listed as being hazardous in section 7283, and coming within the act, the same including wholesale mercantile establishments, then, and under those circumstances, the claimant may be said to have been engaged in a hazardous occupation as defined in the Workmen’s Compensation Act, at the time of his injury.

Claimant’s testimony is again somewhat conflicting as to his duties. There is testimony, however, to the effect that the Republic Supply Company dealt in oil well supplies exclusively at their Wilson, Okla., warehouse; that the store was not what is ordinarily known as a retail store, but that the principal business transacted there was the wholesaling of oil and gas well supplies. Claimant testified to the effect that his principal duties were composed of unloading the machinery as it was shipped into the Wilson warehouse, shipping machinery to other stores as orders were received for it, and setting up machinery for demonstration when a demonstration was required. Claimant further testified that as local manager of said warehouse establishment his clerical duties occupied but a small portion of h'is time and they were by no means his principal duties.

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Bluebook (online)
1932 OK 592, 14 P.2d 222, 159 Okla. 21, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 545, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/republic-supply-co-v-davis-okla-1932.