Johnson v. Raytheon Co.

*621 Plaintiff and appellant Laurence Johnson was seriously injured when he fell from a ladder at work. At the time, Johnson *285 was employed by an independent contractor which provided maintenance engineering staff for defendant and respondent The Raytheon Company, Inc. Raytheon was undergoing a renovation project of a water cooling tower on its premises. The prime contractor for the water cooling tower project was defendant and respondent Systems XT, Inc.

In the course of Johnson's maintenance engineering work, he investigated a low water level alarm by looking over the water cooling tower wall. To do so, he used an unsafe partial extension ladder which had been left at the wall by one of Systems XT's subcontractors, and he fell when the ladder slipped. Johnson sued multiple defendants, alleging they were all responsible for the unsafe conditions which led to his fall. Two of the defendants, Raytheon and Systems XT, obtained summary judgment, and Johnson appeals. We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

1. The Parties

Before we discuss the facts in detail, it is useful to identify all of the entities involved and their contractual relationships.

Johnson was a…