Day 127 - 23 May 95 - Page 18


     
     1   Q.   Yes, I understand.
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Did you say that you returned as Health and
     4        Safety Officer in July 1990 or 1991?  I think you said
     5        1991.  I know that in your statement you have a different
     6        date and Mr. Rampton has put 1990 to you just now.
     7        A.  It must be 1990 because it is five years this July.
     8
     9   Q.   So 1990.
    10
    11   MR. RAMPTON:  I understand you are also a Member of the
    12        Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and also the
    13        Institute of Food Science and Technology?
    14        A.  I am.
    15
    16   Q.   Are those memberships acquired by qualification or simply
    17        by paying a subscription or what?
    18        A.  They are by qualification and experience.  The
    19        Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, you need the
    20        NIBOSH Diploma and also have had three years experience.
    21        I cannot quite remember what the same is for the Institute
    22        of Food Science and Technology now, but I qualified for
    23        that having worked for five years in Quality Assurance and
    24        having my biochemistry degree.
    25
    26   Q.   You did not have to do an exam for membership of those
    27        Institutes?
    28        A.  No, no.
    29
    30   Q.   Before I forget Mrs. Barnes, you do have responsibility,
    31        I think, in McDonald's for food safety?
    32        A.  Yes, when I was appointed, the Food Safety Act had also
    33        just been implemented, so with my Quality Assurance
    34        background, I also was involved with that, although the
    35        amount of involvement I have had with that has varied over
    36        the five years.
    37
    38   Q.   That is what I was going to say.  I do not myself propose
    39        to ask you any questions about that feature of your
    40        responsibility.  We have had Mr. Keith Kenny and Mr. John
    41        Atherton giving evidence in this court as well as various
    42        experts.  Are you content that I should leave that area to
    43        them?
    44        A.  Certainly Keith has greater expertise than I.
    45
    46   Q.   Going back to risk assessment:  Do you look at the gravity
    47        of the risk as well as where and when and to whom it may
    48        occur?
    49        A.  Yes, we do in terms of what the likely outcome of any
    50        accident would be.  That, as I say, can be difficult 
    51        because it is very often down to luck as to what the 
    52        outcome would be.  I suppose, perhaps, a good example 
    53        there, since it is our most frequent type of accident,
    54        would be a slipping accident, where for the majority of
    55        times if somebody slipped over they would just end up with
    56        a minor bruise.
    57
    58   Q.   How do you know that, for example, a slipping type of
    59        accident is the most or one of the more frequent kinds of
    60        accidents?

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