Day 127 - 23 May 95 - Page 71


     
     1        part of that sentence, if you will.  Is it right that there
     2        were no safety committees or safety representatives at that
     3        time?
     4        A.  Apart from the pilot scheme in the Midlands, yes, that
     5        is right.
     6
     7   Q.   Then turn over a few pages to 823, please, paragraph 2.21:
     8         "In the restaurants rap sessions, meetings attended by
     9        crew and led by a manager independent of the restaurant,
    10        were held routinely.  These referred to health and safety
    11        issues, and though these were mainly just repair items
    12        which had not been resolved, crew members appeared to be
    13        encouraged to constructively criticise procedures or
    14        managers.  Issues raised at rap sessions were taken serious
    15        and generally resolved quickly.  These sessions were
    16        providing an important last resort for unresolved issues
    17        and a measure of crew satisfaction with their manager's
    18        performance."
    19
    20        Next paragraph:  "Crew meetings, led by a manager, provide
    21        perhaps the best forum for promoting health and safety
    22        positively in the restaurants, if used to build general
    23        awareness, review practices or procedures operating in the
    24        store and encourage improvements."
    25
    26        Over the page, 2.23:  "Other approaches could be to develop
    27        safety circles, where a small group of employees meet to
    28        identify and solve safety problems in the store, and to
    29        include crew members in ad hoc problem solving teams on an
    30        area/region basis".  I am sorry that is a long read.  You
    31        have told us already that safety circles are now in place?
    32        A.  Yes.
    33
    34   Q.   How quickly were they implemented after this report was
    35        brought out?  It came out in August 1992.
    36        A.  It would certainly be throughout 1993 that we rolled
    37        them out.
    38
    39   Q.   Did you get a clue or a hint or more than that as this
    40        report was, as it were, being prepared of what the thinking
    41        of the Advisory Unit was?
    42        A.  Well, yes, we knew that they were in support of our
    43        having safety circles or safety committees in every
    44        restaurant, so that is a route that we decided to take.
    45
    46   Q.   One other question about this.  They have given some
    47        information about what goes on in rap sessions and crew
    48        meetings in those two paragraphs that we have looked at.
    49        Do you know whether they actually interviewed managers and
    50        crew members? 
    51        A.  They did interview managers and crew members, yes. 
    52 
    53   Q.   Do you know whether they attended any rap sessions or crew
    54        meetings?
    55        A.  I do not know, but certainly Andrew Foster was shown
    56        minutes from rap sessions.
    57
    58   Q.   824, "Communication", the first paragraph, general this
    59        is:  "Effective communication is essential if the health
    60        and safety policy and procedures are to be understood and

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