Day 180 - 31 Oct 95 - Page 60


     
     1        that health and safety were considered as secondary in the
     2        provision of a  'quality service'."
     3
     4        Could you just, in your own expert view, state what you
     5        feel the significance of this report and that quote in the
     6        executive summary?
     7        A.  Well, I mean the Health and Safety Executive Report
     8        does not mince its words, does it?  Sorry, that is a
     9        conjectural response.  In my opinion, the Health and Safety
    10        Executive Report does not mince its words.  There is no
    11        more authoritative body in this country on health and
    12        safety work practices.  This Company specific investigation
    13        is, I believe, a shocking report for this particular
    14        reason, that it goes to the heart of the work system in the
    15        Company and finds it unsafe, in that potentially in the
    16        relationship between customer, employee and safety the
    17        hustle would tend to put safety at the wrong end of the
    18        queue.
    19
    20   Q.   In your statement -----
    21        A.  When I went to those restaurants, when I went on my
    22        site visits, you know, I asked to go to a restaurant, to go
    23        back of house (in the jargon), I asked to go back of house
    24        in a busy period, and actually I was denied that.  I went
    25        to Seven Sisters Road, which we talked about earlier,
    26        I went to Narrow Way in Hackney:  "No, you cannot go back
    27        of house in a busy period because it will interfere with
    28        the operation of the restaurant".  Fine.
    29
    30        If you analysed when accidents take place in McDonald's,
    31        then I would like to suggest they take place in the busy
    32        periods more than the quiet periods.  It is in the busy
    33        periods that the system of hustling along, skip running,
    34        is, you know, is at its potentially most dangerous.  How
    35        many times, you know, how many times on training courses in
    36        the hotel and catering industry has kitchen safety been the
    37        subject of discussion?  It is a fundamental thing.  "Do not
    38        run", and because I was not able to observe these stores at
    39        their peak, you may think I was expecting not to see
    40        hustle.  I was wrong.  The reason is this:  The labour
    41        ratios ---
    42
    43   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause a minute.  Yes?
    44        A.  -- which are defined in the profit unit, profit unit
    45        activity document, see ----
    46
    47   MR. MORRIS:  Sorry, what was wrong with the labour ratios?
    48        A.  Well, there is nothing wrong with them.  It is just
    49        that whatever the level of business you hustle.
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What do you mean by "hustle"? 
    52        A.  Get on with it; skip run; move on the hop; you know, 
    53        you see people skipping round, sliding round corners; they
    54        are on the rapid move to get their job done.
    55
    56   Q.   Just pause a moment.
    57        A.  Simply the reason why the hustle prevails, almost
    58        regardless of the level of sales, is that staffing levels
    59        are tuned to sales, so that staff are working "hustle hard"
    60        (if I can put it that way), staff are working hustle hard

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