Day 086 - 09 Feb 95 - Page 19
1 A. OK.
2
3 MR. MORRIS: You issue lots of memos, yes, about electrical
4 safety at McDonald's?
5 A. At McDonald's, no, not a lot.
6
7 Q. Not a lot; from time to time?
8 A. From time to time, on health and safety matters would
9 discover something new, another way of addressing the
10 matter, an improved way of doing it or something may come
11 to our attention, a recommendation from a health and safety
12 person, an Environmental Health Officer would cause us to
13 send a memo out.
14
15 Q. Like, for example, not changing light bulbs -- a memo, you
16 remember?
17 A. I am not sure I could dig that memo out. I do not
18 think it was a dictate that came down.
19
20 Q. Let us look at this memo you had open before in front of
21 you?
22 A. This is page 773?
23
24 Q. That is the one: "Important: There have been several
25 recent instances in our restaurants where members of staff
26 have received severe shocks from faulty items if electrical
27 equipment. Unfortunately, I have not been notified of
28 these accidents at the time they occurred". It says: "It
29 is imperative I am informed so I can speedily investigate
30 the circumstances". You said before that management have
31 to notify higher levels if it is an accident that should be
32 investigated; is that correct?
33 A. If there is a notifiable accident they fill in an
34 Incident Report Form, and the current procedure is that
35 they would inform their regional health and safety adviser.
36
37 Q. But if it is a severe shock from electrical equipment, then
38 that is something which should be, whether it is a RIDDOR
39 accident or not, presumably, that is something that would
40 have to be, as it says here, speedily investigated; is that
41 correct?
42 A. Yes, it would go to the regional health and safety
43 officer.
44
45 Q. Has that always been the position or only recently?
46 A. Since the position of regional health and safety
47 officer was in position (which I do not know when that was,
48 probably two to three years ago, possibly longer) there
49 would have been another system before then.
50
51 Q. So are you saying that when this memo was read, previous to
52 that there was no system for investigation of significant
53 safety accidents?
54 A. No, I am not saying that. There was a different
55 system, a different person in position.
56
57 Q. Just tell me what the system was?
58 A. To my recollection, I believe it would have been Jill
59 Barnes at that time.
60
