Day 168 - 03 Oct 95 - Page 42


     
     1        maintenance log?
     2        A.  Service history file.
     3
     4   Q.   Service history file.  Why did it take 10 months to put an
     5        effective RCD system in?
     6        A.  I have no idea.  I am not an electrical engineer.  I
     7        have no idea.  We were told by Clayton that there were
     8        problems with the design of the building for a start
     9        because it used to be a timber warehouse.  There were
    10        problem with the siting of the fuse boxes themselves, so
    11        they re-sited them, I think it was, in three different
    12        places before they came to a final decision, and there were
    13        problems because, basically, the cables had to run up
    14        through the building.
    15
    16   Q.   You have said in your statement:  "New guidelines have
    17        recently been issued by the Company on the removal of RCD
    18        cover".  What is that about?
    19        A.  Well, following the completion of the RCD roll out(?),
    20        the Company issued guidelines, I believe it was Frank
    21        Stanton issued the guidelines for our region, insisting
    22        that under no circumstances must the main fuse be removed;
    23        the idea behind that being because all the systems now
    24        worked properly there had to be a fault for the system to
    25        fail.
    26
    27   Q.   Wait a minute, this guideline is a national guideline, is
    28        it?
    29        A.  We received a memo from Frank Stanton for the Midlands
    30        region.  Whether that was a national guideline or not,
    31        I cannot say, but he definitely sent a memo to his 140
    32        stores, or whatever they are.
    33
    34   Q.   He said that under no circumstances should they ---
    35        A.  Now be removed.
    36
    37   Q.   -- trip out, remove the trip switch for RCDs?
    38        A.  That is right.
    39
    40   Q.   Even if, as you claim, you know, the equipment was checked
    41        one by one and all that kind of stuff, that was not allowed
    42        by the Company?
    43        A.  No.  What would happen is if you had a problem -- if
    44        the RCD went down, you would then unplug all the equipment
    45        that was relevant to that RCD unit, because it is now
    46        divided into units -- we used to just have one thing
    47        covering the whole store; it is now divided into specific
    48        units, like grills, friers, fry stations etc. -- you then
    49        unplug the equipment, go upstairs, turn the RCD back on and
    50        plug the equipment back in one by one, see which piece of 
    51        equipment caused the problem. 
    52 
    53        If you then got to the position where the RCD still came
    54        straight back on again, you would have to record it and
    55        phone up the relevant company, but that is extremely rare
    56        now because that would indicate a problem with the RCD.  If
    57        you then plug the piece of equipment back in and the grill
    58        did not work, then you do not use that grill.
    59
    60        The situation he is referring to is the one where the RCD

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