Plaintiff-Appellant Keith Weber (“Weber”) appeals from the decision of the trial court granting Defendant-Respondent McBride & Son Contracting Company’s (McBride) and Laramie Drywall Company’s (Laramie) motions for summary judgment. We affirm.
We consider the record from an appeal of summary judgment in the light most favorable to the party against whom judgment was entered. ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-America Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 376 (Mo. banc 1993) (hereinafter “ITT ”). Facts established by affidavit or other proof in support of a party’s motion are taken as true unless contradicted by the non-moving party’s re*644sponse to the summary judgment motion. Id. We accord the non-moving party the benefit of all reasonable inferences from the record below. Id. The propriety of summary judgment is purely an issue of law, and our review is de novo. Id.
The essential facts, by way of motion for summary judgment, before the trial Court are clear: Weber was working as a painter, for a painting contractor, on an unfinished single-family residence when he fell through a hole in the floor which had been cut for a stairwell. At the time of the fall the residence was owned by the general contractor Vantage Home, Inc. (Vantage) who is not before the Court. McBride and Laramie were sub-contractors on the job but had finished their respective specialties and had turned the residence over to Vantage who had accepted McBride and Laramies work as complete.
The record before the trial Court further showed that on the day of the fall Weber and a co-worker were the only people in the residence, that Weber had inspected the house and seen the unbarri-caded hole and warned his co-worker of what was an open and obvious peril. The record shows no attempt by Weber to contact Vantage to have a barricade placed around the hole, or any attempt by Weber or his co-worker to cover the hole themselves.
The record further before the Court showed that McBride had cut the hole in the sub floor and constructed a railing around the hole. McBride was never informed by Vantage or Laramie that the railing had been removed.
Weber filed a two count petition in Count I alleging that either McBride or Laramie, or both were negligent in regard to the hole relying on res ipsa loquitur. By Count II Weber sought relief against McBride, only, for negligent design of the barricade.
After discovery McBride filed a motion for summary judgment specifically claiming judgment as a matter of law arguing it had negated essential elements of both Counts of Weber’s petition. Laramie sought summary judgment as to Count I alleging that the application of res ipsa loquitur was inappropriate in this case. Both McBride and Laramie relied on the acceptance doctrine before the trial Court. The trial Court granted summary judgment as to both McBride and Laramie.
The clear standard regarding summary judgment is stated as “... the key to summary judgment is the undisputed right to judgment as a matter of law; not simply the absence of a fact question ...” ITT, 854 S.W.2d at 380. As the trial Court below correctly concluded Weber cannot show that either McBride or Laramie owed Weber a duty in regard to the un-barricaded hole. Neither McBride nor Laramie can be held hable for Weber’s injuries as a matter of law as the Courts of this state have repeatedly recognized that acceptance by the general contractor of a sub-contractors work reheves the sub-contractor of liability as to a third person.
Appellant Weber candidly acknowledges this doctrine in his brief and asks us to overturn a long line of Missouri cases on the basis of one cited Oregon case, and the argument that Missouri is in the minority of states in regard to application of the doctrine. We decline the invitation.
Since at least 1905 Missouri, in this one area of its negligence jurisprudence, has apphed the principle that acceptance of work by a general contractor (or owner) reheves the sub-contractors from liability.
The principle involved, and the pohcy at issue, has changed little since articulated by the Western District of this Court in 1905 as follows:
*645“... [b]y occupying and resuming possession of the work, the owner deprives the [sub] contractor of all opportunity to rectify the wrong. Before accepting the work as being in full compliance with the terms of the contract, he is presumed, to have made a reasonably careful inspection thereof, and to know of its defects, and, if he takes it in defective condition he accepts the defects and the negligence that caused them as his own, and hereafter stands forth as their author.” Casey v. Hoover, 114 Mo.App. 47, 89 S.W. 330, 334 (1905).
A cursory examination of cases show the doctrines validity today, albeit, not described in language as colorful as in Casey, id. Recent cases include: Fisher v. State Highway Commission, 948 S.W.2d 607 (Mo. banc 1997); Gast v. Shell Oil, 819 S.W.2d 367 (Mo. banc 1991); Becker v. Setien, 904 S.W.2d 338 (Mo.App. W.D.1995); Coleman v. City of Kansas City, 859 S.W.2d 141 (Mo.App. W.D.1993); Bloemer v. Art Welding, 884 S.W.2d 55 (Mo.App. E.D.1994); and Rogers v. Frank C. Mitchell Co., 908 S.W.2d 387 (Mo.App. E.D.1995).
The record contains clear evidence that neither McBride nor Laramie had control of the residential construction at issue — as such both McBride and Laramie were due judgment as a matter of law as to Count I and the trial Courts analysis in this regard was correct. Simply, consistent with the acceptance doctrine McBride owed Weber no duty as to Count I or Count II, and Laramie owed no duty as to Weber as to Count I, the doctrine is a complete defense.1
Reliance on res ipsa loquitur by Weber is no panacea. In this area of the law res ipsa loquitur does not overcome the acceptance doctrine as a complete defense. A cursory examination of what res ipsa loquitur is and when it has efficacy is instructive. Clearly, res ipsa loquitur is a rule of evidence. Weaks v. Rupp, 966 S.W.2d 387, 393 (Mo.App. W.D.1998). The rule allows a jury to infer negligence when three elements combine: (1) the incident normally does not occur without negligence; (2) and, the incident was caused by an instrumentality under the control of the defendant; (3) and, the defendant has superior knowledge about the cause of the incident. Id. at 393-94. Interestingly, both the acceptance doctrine and res ipsa loquitur have at their core control by the defendant. As is clear on this record neither McBride nor Laramie had control; no control, no application of res ipsa loquitur, which would but shift an evidentiary burden not create a duty. The effect of the acceptance doctrine is to make no inquiry as to whether the defendant is “negligent”, the doctrine simply says once control is no longer in the defendants hands the defendant owes no duty as to negligence.
The trial Court correctly granted summary judgment, Judgment Affirmed.
GARY M. GAERTNER, SR., P.J., concurs. GEORGE W. DRAPER III, J., dissents in separate opinion.. We express no opinion as to the liability, if any, of Vantage Homes.