Hoechst Celanese Corp. v. Mendez

Opinion

What is an employer’s duty to an independent contractor’s employees when the employer requires the contractor to observe general workplace safety guidelines? Hoechst-Celanese Corp. hired Mundy Contract Maintenance, Inc., an independent contractor, to perform various maintenance services at the Celanese plants. While performing a Celanese work order, a Mundy employee sustained serious injuries when he fell from the shelf of a large metal tool box he was using as a ladder. The employee sued Celanese and claimed that the tool box was a premises defect and that Celanese was negligent in…