Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 32


     
     1        tiles got worn quickly and obviously reduced the risk of
     2        it.  That is not to say we still do not have slipping
     3        accidents, we do.  But I mean this is also -----
     4
     5   Q.  There are still hot surfaces.  The clamshell grill is only
     6        one piece of equipment, is it not?  There are a lot of
     7        other hot surfaces?
     8        A.  I am afraid if you are cooking things, the surfaces are
     9        going to be hot.  Yes, with the vats, they are still open
    10        vats.  Again they have slip resistant flooring in front of
    11        them to reduce the risk of slipping accidents happening.
    12        On this page is a good example of an accident that we
    13        probably never ever will prevent, which is the second one
    14        down, "banged hand on the grill".  How do you prevent that
    15        happening?
    16
    17   Q.   That might be a slip.
    18        A.  We do not know.  One of the problems with the accident
    19        book is that unless it is the local management that is
    20        looking at them, you really do not know what the cause of
    21        the accident has been.  That is why we investigate all the
    22        RIDDOR ones, to try to identify causes.  So if it is a
    23        cause that is common, could be common, throughout the
    24        Company, we can then communicate it to people.
    25
    26   Q.   The point I am asking, though, is that the slip accidents
    27        are more hazardous in the kitchen situation, whether it is
    28        McDonald's or any other catering establishment, because of
    29        the hot surfaces where people might grab something to
    30        steady themselves?
    31        A.  It is like if you slip at home, and you happen to have
    32        the cooker on and you put your hand on it.
    33
    34   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is fair enough comment then?
    35        A.  Yes.
    36
    37   Q.   If you are working in the kitchen, you have got the double
    38        hazard of possibly slipping on some matter on the floor,
    39        and then some part of your body coming into contact with
    40        something hot?
    41        A.  That is correct, sir.
    42
    43   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  I do not slip in my kitchen because it is not
    44        that kind of kitchen!
    45        A.  One of the things we do not have in our kitchens, which
    46        is quite frequently found in other catering establishments,
    47        are free-standing fryers.  All of ours are locked in place
    48        because one of the really nastiest accidents you could have
    49        in a kitchen is to slip, put your hand in a fryer and pull
    50        it on top of you.  That just does not happen because they 
    51        are all locked in place; the worst you would probably get 
    52        is a burnt arm. 
    53
    54   Q.   On the same page it says:  "Cut three fingers on filet
    55        station".  What is the filet station?
    56        A.  The filet station is fryers from which we cook the
    57        filet-o-fish.  I have no idea which part of it -- one of
    58        the things we have asked our equipment suppliers to do is
    59        to make sure that the edges of equipment are rounded off.
    60        One of the problems that we identified is that because we

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