Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 03
1 that throughout Europe.
2
3 Q. So did you not know about these Regulations until they
4 actually came into force?
5 A. I cannot really answer that because, obviously, I was
6 not put in place until July 1990. Any discussions that had
7 taken place before that I was not involved in.
8
9 Q. The other thing is that you just said that you already gave
10 training on electrical equipment for training on how to
11 repair electrical equipment?
12 A. Well, the training was already given on the advanced
13 equipment course about the dangers of electricity and what
14 restaurants manager could and could not do. In response to
15 the Electricity at Work Regulations, we went back and
16 looked at that. In terms of risk assessment we then cut
17 down the amount of things we felt they should be doing.
18
19 Q. Do you know why it is then that, on page 720 (which is the
20 memo dated 14th May 1991, about the new Electricity at Work
21 Regulations) it says: "NB, the AEC has been revised and
22 from now on will include tuition on electrical safety"?
23 A. Yes, it included a new session on electrical safety,
24 but electricity was mentioned before, the dangers of it and
25 how it worked, and I certainly remember that from my own
26 advanced equipment course which I went on in 1983.
27
28 Q. It does not say that has been updated and will include
29 extra tuition on electrical safety?
30 A. No, it does not, but an integral part of what was
31 taught was about electricity and what it did, and its
32 effect.
33
34 Q. If you look underneath the parts that I just read out,
35 underlined, it says: "From January 1st next year", i.e.
36 1992, "no employee will be considered competent to carry
37 out maintenance or repair of electrical equipment unless
38 they have completed the revised AEC, or the old AEC, plus
39 part day course on electrical safety". Why was that not
40 brought in immediately, if you were so concerned about
41 safety?
42 A. OK, as I have just explained, the people that had been
43 on the old AEC had already had training. Yes, we felt we
44 could improve that, but we did not think the risk was such
45 that we should change it straightaway.
46
47 MR. MORRIS: Could you go to page 794 in that bundle J. It is
48 right at the back of that particular tab? This is the
49 deferred prohibition notice from Manchester City Council,
50 794 J, at the end of the first paragraph it says: "I am of
51 the opinion", this is Michael ^ Shirkie from Manchester
52 City Council, "that the following activity, namely, the use
53 of portable electrical appliances in the wash-up area of
54 the above premises", that is, Arndale. Is that just the
55 Arndale store or all the stores? Arndale store, "without
56 the protection of a residual current device installed
57 thereto will involve the risk of serious personal injury".
58
59 A bit lower down: "I am further of the opinion that the
60 said matters involve contraventions of the following
