The Court of Appeal issues a writ of mandate directing the trial court to enter summary judgment for the defendant in this personal injury action by a subcontractor’s employee. Under the Privette doctrine, the hirer of an independent contractor is generally not liable for injuries suffered by the contractor’s or its subcontractors’ employees on the job. To invoke the doctrine it is not necessary that there be a written construction contract between the hirer and the contractor. An oral hiring suffices. There was no evidence of concealment of an allegedly hazardous, miswired junction box. Use of standard tools and procedures would have revealed to the injured employee that the junction box was “hot” and high voltage. A simple request for plans and permits would have revealed any non-compliance with building codes. The hirer didn’t retain control over safety at the site by simply directing the subcontractor to forego getting permits that the subcontractor knew were required for the job. At most, the hirer allowed a preexisting and potentially dangerous condition to persist, which is insufficient for liability to attach under the retained control exception.