Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 05


     
     1
     2   Q.   Yes, but in those circumstances, where equipment may be
     3        exposed to mechanical damage and the effect of wet
     4        conditions can lead to fires.  There have been fires, have
     5        there not, in the McDonald's stores, in the fat filtering
     6        unit because of those conditions?
     7        A.  I do not know of any fires in the filtering machine.
     8
     9   Q.   You do not?
    10        A.  At all.
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  The point there is he speaks of leakage of
    13        electric current, but if you get a short circuit and a
    14        flash, it might lead to a fire; it might ignite something?
    15        A.  Certainly, it is one hazard of electrical equipment,
    16        that you can get fire.
    17
    18   MR. MORRIS:  If you just want to go to a document while we are
    19        on that subject.  I am trying to take the point that I do
    20        not need to put every detail of this accident.
    21
    22   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I do not think you do.  The reason I have
    23        come in is not to stop you putting some valid point, but
    24        what I thought you might be tempted to do is leave the
    25        Manchester City Council papers which, in any event, we have
    26        looked at before.  If you, for instance, think that I did
    27        not in one sentence a moment ago cover all the points you
    28        want to make, pick out of the draft report the areas where
    29        you think McDonald's could be subject to criticism.
    30
    31   MR. MORRIS:   Yes.
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Because it occurred to me that that document
    34        may go to McDonald's credit, I do not know, but appeared a
    35        fairly candid assessment of areas where, to put it in a
    36        fairly neutral phrase, they could have done better.
    37
    38   MR. RAMPTON:  I remind your Lordship Mr. Morris was not here,
    39        but I am sure he read the transcript, that in answer to
    40        questions by me Mrs. Barnes accepted the findings of Mr.
    41        Shirkie.
    42
    43   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I thought they were factual findings.  To
    44        save going through it, you are not to be inhibited from
    45        putting any particular criticism.  All I am suggesting is a
    46        way in which you might do it quite shortly without losing
    47        anything from your own case.  Carry on in your own way.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:  Presumably, you accept the findings of your own
    50        report? 
    51        A.  In putting together that report, I was as critical as 
    52        I could possibly be.  I just felt at the time we owed it to 
    53        Mark Hopkins to look in absolute detail at what happened,
    54        and pick out every little thing we felt we possibly could
    55        have done better.  As you will know all of the things I
    56        picked out we addressed.
    57
    58   Q.   So you accept the findings of your own report?
    59        A.  Yes, I wrote it.
    60

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