Williams v. International Oil Co.

The plaintiff contends that the defendant violated the provisions of sec. 101.06, Stats., known as the “safe-place statute.” The defendant, on the other hand, contends that the light pole was not a place of employment within the meaning of that statute. It cites several cases in which recovery was sought from municipalities or eleemosynary institutions which, of course, have no application here.

Some confusion still arises because the duties of owners of public buildings and places of employment are covered in the same section of the statute. The obligation of the owner of a public building to…