Koch Refining Co. v. Chapa

The issue in this case is whether a premises owner, merely by placing a safety employee on the work site, incurs a duty to an independent contractor’s employees to intervene and ensure that they safely perform their work. Koch Refining Co. hired H & S Constructors, Inc., as an independent contractor to perform pipe-fitting operations at its plant. H & S hired Juan Chapa from an employee-leasing company. Chapa sustained an injury when a coworker who was helping Chapa move a pipe unexpectedly lost his footing. Chapa testified that, before the accident, he questioned his H & S supervisor about…