Day 154 - 13 Jul 95 - Page 21
1 experience is that that does not actually necessarily mean
2 they do any work, but they spend time in the working
3 environment, as much as anything else, and see what is
4 going on. They may well do some work. They may just
5 follow someone around and watch what is happening.
6 A. Yes. More -- that is my experience of it, as well.
7
8 Q. Whether it is in a paperworking environment or a more
9 physical working environment?
10 A. That is right. It is just so they can get an idea of
11 what it is like to work at McDonald's, whilst they are at
12 school.
13
14 MR. MORRIS: Do McDonald's have any policy or guidelines on what
15 happens if someone on work experience does come in (if they
16 are coming in), that they should not do, for example, jobs
17 on the grills or other areas where they are obviously not
18 trained?
19 A. I do not know if there is a set policy.
20 Generally -----
21
22 Q. It is up to the managers, is it?
23 A. Generally, you credit the managers with common sense
24 not to put them in a situation where they could, through
25 their inexperience and never having worked before, where
26 they would be in the slightest bit of danger.
27
28 Q. What were you doing in June 1990? I cannot remember
29 whether you were Area Supervisor or what at that time.
30 A. I was probably Operations Manager in the Birmingham
31 area.
32
33 Q. On 21st June, 1990 -- and this can be checked up, we do not
34 have to go into it -- in the Colchester accident or
35 injuries book, as it really is, a 15 year old girl,
36 Emma Bzarda, on work experience -- "hand slipped on the
37 meat on the quarter pounder grill and burnt two
38 fingertips"; maybe it is "hand slipped off the meat and
39 burnt two fingertips". If something like that had come to
40 your attention in one of the stores that you were
41 responsible for, what would you do?
42 A. I would want to investigate it, probably.
43
44 Q. Yes, but after you have investigated it, probably, and a
45 child on work experience was found to have been working on
46 a grill, is that something that would concern you?
47 A. I think it would, yes.
48
49 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It would actually concern you, would it?
50 A. I think so, yes.
51
52 MR. MORRIS: If it would concern you, why is there no policy or
53 guidelines issued by McDonald's about how children on work
54 experience are treated or used or whatever?
55 A. There may well be some guidelines. What would normally
56 happen is that the restaurant manager would consult with
57 the Human Resources Department as to what the procedure
58 was. So if somebody approached and said: "We would like to
59 do some work experience for some particular school
60 children", then they would consult the Human Resources
