Graham v. Arall, Inc.

Plaintiff, an experienced pipe welder, recovered a verdict for injuries received while working on a gas distribution system being installed by defendant pipe-line contractor. As the relationship of the parties is that of independent contractors, defendant's duty as to plaintiff is first to be examined.

A contractor owes the same duty to care for the safety of his subcontractor as for his own employee. This follows from Polluck v. Minneapolis & St. L. R. Co., 45 S.D. 210, 186 N.W. 830, where this duty was said to be owing to the subcontractor's employee. The standard is ordinary or reasonable…