Benavides v. Eastern NM Med Center ( 2013 )

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1 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO
2 SARA L. BENAVIDES,
3 Worker-Appellant,
4 v. NO. 32,450
5 EASTERN NEW MEXICO MEDICAL
6 CENTER and ZURICH AMERICAN
7 INSURANCE COMPANY,
8 Employer/Insurer-Appellees.
9 APPEAL FROM THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ADMINISTRATION
10 Gregory D. Griego, Workers’ Compensation Judge
11 Gerald A. Hanrahan
12 Albuquerque, NM
13 for Appellant
14 Timothy Hale
15 Albuquerque, NM
16 for Appellees
17 MEMORANDUM OPINION
18 VANZI, Judge.
1 {1} Worker appeals from a Workers’ Compensation order providing her with
2 benefits but denying a ten percent safety device penalty. We proposed to affirm.
3 Worker has responded with a memorandum in opposition.
4 {2} In this appeal, Worker has raised seven issues that may be addressed in
5 consolidated form as follows. Pursuant to NMSA 1978, Section 52-1-10(B) (1989),
6 Worker sought a 10% increase in benefits due to Employer’s failure to provide a
7 safety device. Specifically, Worker based her claim on the failure to have a “wet
8 floor” sign posted at the place of her injury. Section 52-1-10(B) provides:
9 In case an injury to, or death of, a worker results from the failure of an
10 employer to provide safety devices required by law or, in any industry
11 in which safety devices are not prescribed by statute, if an injury to, or
12 death of, a worker results from the negligence of the employer in failing
13 to supply reasonable safety devices in general use for the use or
14 protection of the worker, then the compensation otherwise payable under
15 the Workers’ Compensation Act shall be increased ten percent.
16 {3} In a memorandum opinion, the Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ) noted that
17 Employer provided wet floor signs for use by housekeeping staff. [RP 1298]
18 However, the signs were not deployed as they should have been. [RP 1298] Under
19 these circumstances, the WCJ concluded that the 10% safety penalty should not be
20 imposed, pursuant to the analysis set forth in Jaramillo v. Anaconda Co., 95 N.M.
21 728, 625 P.2d 1245 (Ct. App. 1981). In Jaramillo, this Court determined that the
22 “failure to provide” language in Section 52-1-10(B) did not apply to a situation where
23 a safety device is provided by an employer but is not properly employed by a
2
1 coworker. Id. at 729, 625 P.2d 1246. This is precisely what happened here.
2 Accordingly, our calendar notice proposed to affirm.
3 {4} In her memorandum in opposition, Worker claims that she is not asking us to
4 overrule Jaramillo. [MIO 1] In support, Worker refers us to Martinez v. Zia Co., 100
5 N.M. 8, 10, 664 P.2d 1021, 1023 (Ct. App. 1983), where the safety device was a
6 missing rearview mirror on a Bobcat. [MIO 3] Worker relies on the fact that the
7 employer in that case had provided other Bobcats that did not have missing mirrors,
8 and analogized this to the availability of wet floor signs in the present case. See id.
9 We are not persuaded. We believe that Martinez is distinguishable because there is
10 no indication in the present case that Employer provided defective warning signs. As
11 such, we conclude that Jaramillo is controlling in this case. Likewise, Worker’s
12 reliance on Dickerson v. Farmer’s Elec. Coop., 67 N.M. 23, 26, 350 P.2d 1037, 1039
13 (1960) is misplaced because, as in Martinez, the items used (safety gloves) were
14 themselves defective safety devices. [MIO 4]
15 {5} Finally, we are also not persuaded that Jaramillo was abolished by any changes
16 to NMSA 1978, Section 52-1-8(B) (1989), concerning defenses, that were made
17 subsequent to Jaramillo. There were no relevant changes made to this particular
18 subsection in the 1989 amendments. NMSA 1978, § 52-1-8(B) (1973).
19 {6} For the reasons set forth above, we affirm.
20 {7} IT IS SO ORDERED.
3
1 __________________________________
2 LINDA M. VANZI, Judge
3 WE CONCUR:
4 _________________________________
5 MICHAEL D. BUSTAMANTE, Judge
6 _________________________________
7 J. MILES HANISEE, Judge
4