Contractor's Business Management Report

Michigan Supreme Court Clarifies ‘Common-Work-Area Doctrine’ The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in Latham v. Barton Marlow Co. that the common-work-area doctrine does not impose a duty on general contractors for hazards that are part of the "unavoidable, perilous nature of the site itself." The court stated, "The danger for which a duty attaches is an avoidable danger to which a significant number of workers are exposed, such as … failure to have fall protection devices to protect…