Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 03


     
     1        that throughout Europe.
     2
     3   Q.   So did you not know about these Regulations until they
     4        actually came into force?
     5        A.  I cannot really answer that because, obviously, I was
     6        not put in place until July 1990.  Any discussions that had
     7        taken place before that I was not involved in.
     8
     9   Q.   The other thing is that you just said that you already gave
    10        training on electrical equipment for training on how to
    11        repair electrical equipment?
    12        A.  Well, the training was already given on the advanced
    13        equipment course about the dangers of electricity and what
    14        restaurants manager could and could not do.  In response to
    15        the Electricity at Work Regulations, we went back and
    16        looked at that.  In terms of risk assessment we then cut
    17        down the amount of things we felt they should be doing.
    18
    19   Q.   Do you know why it is then that, on page 720 (which is the
    20        memo dated 14th May 1991, about the new Electricity at Work
    21        Regulations) it says:  "NB, the AEC has been revised and
    22        from now on will include tuition on electrical safety"?
    23        A.  Yes, it included a new session on electrical safety,
    24        but electricity was mentioned before, the dangers of it and
    25        how it worked, and I certainly remember that from my own
    26        advanced equipment course which I went on in 1983.
    27
    28   Q.   It does not say that has been updated and will include
    29        extra tuition on electrical safety?
    30        A.  No, it does not, but an integral part of what was
    31        taught was about electricity and what it did, and its
    32        effect.
    33
    34   Q.   If you look underneath the parts that I just read out,
    35        underlined, it says:  "From January 1st next year", i.e.
    36        1992, "no employee will be considered competent to carry
    37        out maintenance or repair of electrical equipment unless
    38        they have completed the revised AEC, or the old AEC, plus
    39        part day course on electrical safety".  Why was that not
    40        brought in immediately, if you were so concerned about
    41        safety?
    42        A.  OK, as I have just explained, the people that had been
    43        on the old AEC had already had training.  Yes, we felt we
    44        could improve that, but we did not think the risk was such
    45        that we should change it straightaway.
    46
    47   MR. MORRIS:  Could you go to page 794 in that bundle J.  It is
    48        right at the back of that particular tab?  This is the
    49        deferred prohibition notice from Manchester City Council,
    50        794 J, at the end of the first paragraph it says:  "I am of 
    51        the opinion", this is Michael ^ Shirkie from Manchester 
    52        City Council, "that the following activity, namely, the use 
    53        of portable electrical appliances in the wash-up area of
    54        the above premises", that is, Arndale.  Is that just the
    55        Arndale store or all the stores?   Arndale store, "without
    56        the protection of a residual current device installed
    57        thereto will involve the risk of serious personal injury".
    58
    59        A bit lower down:  "I am further of the opinion that the
    60        said matters involve contraventions of the following

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