Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 38


     
     1        one here, "Putting cloths down, collided with manager
     2        holding tray, broke teeth, forefront teeth broken".
     3        Collisions between staff members, is that more likely to
     4        happen during rush periods when people are moving quickly,
     5        filling orders within a minute, and that kind of thing?
     6        A.  Well, as I said earlier, my experience is that actually
     7        fewer unplanned events, if you like, fewer collisions,
     8        fewer accidents, actually happen when it is busy.
     9        Obviously, with this particular one, it does not say
    10        whether it was a busy time or not.
    11
    12   Q.   No.
    13        A.  To be honest -----
    14
    15   Q.   That would be some useful bit of information you could have
    16        added to your injury book, the type of accident.  Then you
    17        would be able to monitor?
    18        A.  Remember, this is a statutory book.
    19
    20   Q.   It does not stop you, though, from adding a column -----
    21
    22   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Leave it there.
    23
    24   MR. MORRIS:  The one at the bottom is:   "Burnt arm on quarter
    25        pounder grill while replacing filters.  Burnt by arm from
    26        elbow to knuckle".  If somebody does not spend more than 24
    27        hours in hospital, then that is not a reportable incident,
    28        is it?
    29        A.  Well, it would be if they were off more than three
    30        days.  That one, I mean, something must have happened there
    31        because there is no way that normally in replacing the
    32        filters, which are slightly above the grill, you would get
    33        your arms anywhere near the grill surface.
    34
    35   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you know what the ticks in the "nature of
    36        injury" column mean?
    37        A.  I do not.  The only thing I can think is when the
    38        personnel people did their audit, one of the things they
    39        looked through was the accident book.  It might be they
    40        looked through.  I really do not know what it is.
    41
    42   MR. MORRIS:  How do they know someone is going to be off for
    43        three days?
    44        A.  Well, the procedure is it is laid out on the accident
    45        check list, that they call a regional hygiene and safety
    46        advisor.  What we like them to do is if on the first day,
    47        they are obviously not sure if somebody has had to go home
    48        how long they are going to be off,.  If they need advice,
    49        that they ring up my people.  Certainly when they realise
    50        they are going to be off for more than three days, they 
    51        ring them.  But we have seven days to report it to the 
    52        Environmental Health Officer.  So, say, on the fourth day, 
    53        the store rings up:  "Joe Bloggs has now been off more than
    54        three days".   It is reportable.  We still have half a week
    55        left to report it to the Environmental Health Officer.
    56        That is laid down under RIDDOR.
    57
    58   Q.   But in what you might call "normal" employment where people
    59        work a guaranteed five day weeks or something?
    60        A.  It does not matter whether they are scheduled to work

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