In the 1953 case of Alaska Steamship Co., Inc. v. Petterson, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of a seaman who had been injured while working on a ship owned by the Alaska Steamship Company. The company argued that it should not be held liable for damages because its employee was negligent and his injury resulted from his own carelessness rather than any fault on their part. However, under maritime law, employers are required to provide safe working conditions for their employees and can be held responsible if they fail to do so. The court found that there were unsafe conditions aboard the ship which contributed to Petterson's accident and therefore upheld an earlier decision awarding him compensation for his injuries.

In the dissenting opinion for Alaska Steamship Co., Inc. v. Pettersson, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a verdict in favor of an injured seaman was incorrect due to misinterpretation of maritime law and negligence standards. The dissent contended that there were no substantial grounds for finding negligence on part of the ship owner or its employees, as they had provided safe equipment and proper instructions for use. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the plaintiff himself admitted he knew how to safely operate said equipment but chose not to follow those procedures at his own risk. Therefore, according to this view, liability should not be placed on defendants when injury resulted from plaintiff’s own failure to exercise reasonable care or adhere to known safety measures.