Day 131 - 06 Jun 95 - Page 68
1 in the same period of time so that may lead to corner
2 cutting, scraping your hands on it, or any other problems?
3 A. The equipment is designed to take a set number of
4 burgers and a set number of burgers are cooked at one time
5 and the procedures are made so that they are turned over at
6 a particular stage.
7
8 Q. Yes, but the variable is, is it not, Mr. Purslow, the
9 amount of staffing and how much time they have to do how
10 much work they have to do?
11 A. Not when you are cooking burgers, because what will
12 happen, if you are cutting down on staff or there is not
13 enough staff, is that you have got to close up one of your
14 stations, and you cannot serve as many people in the same
15 time. It is as simple as that. You end up with a queue
16 out of the door. That is why they try to keep the staffing
17 levels at their recommended levels. They are world expert
18 at staffing these places; they know what they are about.
19
20 Q. So if McDonald's are not closing up stations when a staff
21 member would otherwise be under pressure because he or she
22 has to do too much in one go, then they would be creating
23 an unsafe job ---
24 A. No, I am sorry.
25
26 Q. -- for that person that is doing too much?
27 A. No, I am sorry you cannot say that; you cannot be as
28 broad as that, because you still have to say that speeding
29 up on a particular job is making it inherently dangerous
30 and it is not in most cases. In any case, even if the
31 staffing is slow, what happens is that they do not achieve
32 their target time of serving customers and the customers go
33 away. Their whole point is to serve people quickly and
34 effectively.
35
36 Q. The reality is, Mr. Purslow, that you do not want to say
37 anything that is critical of McDonald's because you are
38 making quite a lot of money out of them and you are happy
39 to carry on doing that indefinitely?
40 A. Rubbish, Mr. Morris. The reality is you have asked me
41 my professional advice, I have given it and you do not want
42 to accept it; that is your prerogative.
43
44 Q. Yes, but what professional advice have you given McDonald's
45 that is critical of their procedures and unsafe practices
46 that affect their staff?
47 A. As with other organisations, I am proud of the
48 contribution that I have made not only to McDonald's but to
49 a number of other organisations. I see safety as an
50 evolving practice. You do not go in and decimate a company
51 and say: "This, that and the other is rubbish" and so on
52 and so forth. That is not the way you do it. You change
53 it by evolution not by revolution. One gradually builds up
54 the standards. To imply that I am altering my advice and
55 professionally compromising my standards because I am paid
56 I find, I have to say, an insult.
57
58 Q. How does "hustle" as criticised by the Health and Safety
59 Executive Report, if I can try to find the magic words:
60 "It provides a good illustration of the culture in the
