A. The following employers, when the conditions and hazards inherent in the occupation involved are such as to expose the employees to any of the hazards of occupational disease, shall be subject to the provisions of the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law: the state and each county, municipality, school district, drainage, irrigation or conservancy district and public institution and administrative board thereof, every charitable organization and every private person, firm or corporation engaged in carrying on business or trade within the state having in service four or more employees regularly employed in the same business or in or about the same establishment under any contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written, except employers of ranching or agricultural laborers and employers of private domestic servants; provided, however, effective January 1, 1978, the provisions of the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law shall apply to employers of three or more employees, except employers of ranching or agricultural laborers and employers of private domestic servants and, effective January 1, 1990, the provisions of the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law shall apply to all employers of employees, except employers of ranching or agricultural laborers and employers of private domestic servants. Employers who have in service less than four employees and after January 1, 1978 less than three employees, employers of ranching or agricultural laborers, employers of private domestic servants and partners and self-employed persons and, effective January 1, 1990, employers of ranching or agricultural laborers, employers of private domestic servants and partners and self-employed persons shall have the right to come under the terms of the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law by complying with the provisions hereof.
B. The term "regularly employed", as herein used, unless the context otherwise requires, shall include all employments in the usual course of the trade, business, profession or occupation of the employer, whether continuous throughout the year or for only a portion of the year.
C. Any person, firm or corporation engaged in the performance of work as an independent contractor shall be deemed an employer within the meaning of this section. The term "independent contractor", as herein used, is defined to be any person, association or corporation engaged in the performance of any work for another, who, while so engaged, is independent of the employer in all that pertains to the execution of the work, is not subject to the rule or control of the employer, is engaged only in the performance of a definite job or piece of work and is subordinate to the employer only in effecting a result in accordance with the employer's design.
D. For the purposes of the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law, an individual who performs services as a qualified real estate salesperson shall not be treated as an employee and the person for whom the services are performed shall not be treated as an employer.
E. For the purpose of Subsection D of this section, a "qualified real estate salesperson" means an individual who:
(1) is a licensed real estate salesperson, associate broker or broker under contract with a real estate firm;
(2) receives substantially all of his remuneration, whether or not paid in cash, for the services performed as a real estate salesperson, associate broker or broker under contract with a real estate firm in direct relation to sales or other output, including the performance of services, rather than to the number of hours worked; and
(3) performs services pursuant to written contract between himself and the person for whom the services are performed, and the contract provides that the individual will not be treated as an employee with respect to such services.
History: 1941 Comp., § 57-1102, enacted by Laws 1945, ch. 135, § 2; 1953 Comp., § 59-11-2; Laws 1971, ch. 261, § 6; 1972, ch. 65, § 3; 1973, ch. 239, § 1; 1975, ch. 317, § 1; 1987, ch. 260, § 2; 1989, ch. 263, § 48.
Subject to act until notice of rejection. — Once an employer has come under the act he remains subject thereto until he complies with giving notice of rejection in the manner by the act provided. 1945 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 45-4778.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 27 Am. Jur. 2d Employment Relationship §§ 241, 265.
Structure New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 52 - Workers' Compensation
Article 3 - Occupational Disease Disablement
Section 52-3-2 - Employers who come within the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law.
Section 52-3-3 - Definitions; employee and lessee in mines.
Section 52-3-3.1 - Recompiled.
Section 52-3-7 - Defenses to action by employee.
Section 52-3-8 - Right to compensation; exclusive when.
Section 52-3-9 - Filing insurance under the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law.
Section 52-3-9.2 - Destruction of policies, bonds and undertakings.
Section 52-3-10 - Employer liability for compensation; conditions when no payment to be made.
Section 52-3-11 - Last employer liable; exception.
Section 52-3-12 - Not applicable in certain cases.
Section 52-3-13 - Dependents defined; determination of.
Section 52-3-14 - Compensation; limitations.
Section 52-3-17 - Vocational rehabilitation services.
Section 52-3-18 - Determination by worker's compensation division of the labor department.
Section 52-3-19 - Notice of disablement to employer; employer to post clear notice of requirement.
Section 52-3-20 - Payment of benefits in installments.
Section 52-3-21 to 52-3-24 - Repealed.
Section 52-3-25 - Effect of failure of worker to file claim by reason of conduct of employer.
Section 52-3-26 to 52-3-30 - Repealed.
Section 52-3-32 - Occupational diseases; proximate causation.
Section 52-3-32.1 - Firefighter occupational conditions.
Section 52-3-33 - Occupational diseases; definition.
Section 52-3-34 - When complicated with other diseases; payments.
Section 52-3-35 - Termination of compensation; reopening award; time; limits.
Section 52-3-36 - Conversion to lump-sum payment.
Section 52-3-37 - Compensation exempt from execution.
Section 52-3-38 - Minor deemed sui juris.
Section 52-3-40 - Autopsy in death claims.
Section 52-3-41 - Absence; employee to give notices of.
Section 52-3-42 - Limitation on filing of claims; rights barred unless timely filed.
Section 52-3-43 - When occupational disease aggravated by other diseases.
Section 52-3-44 - No liability prior to effective date.
Section 52-3-45 - Employees [Employee's] willful misconduct, willful self-exposure; defined.
Section 52-3-45.1 - Unfair claim-processing practices; bad faith.
Section 52-3-45.2 - Retaliation against employee seeking benefits; civil penalty.
Section 52-3-45.4 - Compensation benefits limit.
Section 52-3-48 - Employee to submit to examination and give information regarding self.
Section 52-3-49.1 - Rehiring of disabled workers.
Section 52-3-50 - Effect of failure of employee to file claim by reason of conduct of employer.
Section 52-3-51 - Reports to be filed with director.
Section 52-3-52 - Notice to director.
Section 52-3-54 - Director to enforce the New Mexico Occupational Disease Disablement Law.
Section 52-3-55 - Extraterritorial coverage.
Section 52-3-56 - Credit for benefits furnished or paid under laws of other jurisdictions.
Section 52-3-58 - Locale of employment.
Section 52-3-59 - Reciprocal recognition of extra-territorial coverage with other jurisdictions.
Section 52-3-60 - Offset of unemployment compensation benefits.