Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 18


     
     1        manufacturer.
     2
     3   Q.   Then it goes on about residual current devices "had been
     4        used in various stores for various equipment".  Is that how
     5        you see it?
     6        A.  Yes, they were already fitted to the three-phase
     7        equipment which, obviously, was a higher risk than the
     8        normal voltage equipment.  Although the EHO did not
     9        recommend that we fitted RCDs to all the circuits, that is
    10        what we went ahead and did.  The notices that he served
    11        just referred to certain pieces of equipment, and he was,
    12        in fact, extremely surprised that we decided to fit them to
    13        all the circuits in the restaurants, but we felt it was the
    14        right route to go.  But I have to say, even with those
    15        fitted, there is absolutely no guarantee that somebody
    16        else, sometime, might receive an electric shock.
    17
    18   Q.   He did say:  "The use of portable electrical appliances in
    19        the wash-up area", this is the prohibition notice, "without
    20        the protection of residual current device, will involve a
    21        risk of serious personal injury. " So he was certainly
    22        applying his advice to the wash up area?
    23        A.  Yes, in fact, you will have seen the message went out
    24        straightaway to all restaurants to get machines RCDs fitted
    25        to the filtering machines, even before we did all the
    26        circuits, which, obviously, took quite a while to organise.
    27
    28   Q.   That was his particular remit of investigation; he did not
    29        have time to check every aspect of store and every -----
    30        A.  But you will also see he actually gave us, I think it
    31        was, two weeks to get that done.  So in terms of risks he
    32        did not see it was something we needed to do immediately,
    33        although we did instruct our stores do it immediately.
    34        I think he gave us until the end of November to get it
    35        done, sorry, end of October.  It is a deferred prohibition
    36        notice; it does not come in straightaway.
    37
    38   Q.   You said there had been in that store, in that last
    39        paragraph there in that section:  "Miniature circuit
    40        breakers are fitted to all circuits in the store, but these
    41        do not react quickly enough to protect people, their main
    42        purpose being to prevent fires"?
    43        A.  Which is obviously a greater risk to people, even than
    44        electric shocks.
    45
    46   Q.   Just on that same page under "Training.  We have long
    47        recognised the filtering process to be hazardous because of
    48        involvement of hot shortening"?
    49        A.  We discussed that yesterday.  Yes, potentially it is
    50        hazardous.  That is why we have taken care for so long to 
    51        control the risk by having such tight procedures in place. 
    52 
    53   Q.   You say on the next page, page 6, your last paragraph: "By
    54        law we are required to have at least one First Aider on
    55        shift at all times"?
    56        A.  I believe I was wrong about that.  I believe you have
    57        to have a responsible person on shift at all times, but not
    58        a fully qualified First Aider, but our internal standards
    59        are that we have a fully qualified First Aider there at all
    60        times.  I believe the salaried manager who was due to run

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