Day 129 - 25 May 95 - Page 16
1 decision. He would have been involved in putting together
2 the action plan afterwards, so that might have involved
3 sending out a memo to stores.
4
5 Q. Right. Why is the kitchen kept clear during filtering?
6 A. Well, the idea is that when somebody is carrying out
7 filtering that as few people as possible should pass that
8 site.
9
10 Q. Sorry, that is not a hard and fast thing; it is just trying
11 to have as few people in the area as possible?
12 A. Well, what we advise them to do is to do it when it is
13 a quiet time; if they can, either do it when the restaurant
14 is closed or if they have closed down half of the kitchen
15 do the filtering in the half that is not being used.
16
17 Q. Is there a particular reason for that?
18 A. Well, it is just a precautionary measure. We have --
19 I can remember very, very few accidents with filtering
20 because we do train people specifically on it, because
21 obviously handling hot shortening, potentially, there is
22 quite a high hazard there and, therefore, we make sure that
23 we give extra training, we provide protective equipment and
24 give extra advice, so that we minimise the risk both to the
25 person who is doing the filtering and anybody else who is
26 there.
27
28 Q. Right. So it is basically because it is a particularly
29 dangerous task of the ones that are to be done?
30 A. Well, it potentially is, it could be if it is not done
31 properly.
32
33 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Could you just pause there because I am not
34 sure I understand why it could be dangerous; does it have
35 to be done while the fat is hot?
36 A. Yes, it does. It has to be done while the fat is
37 liquid. One of the things we are working on at the moment
38 is a liquid shortening, that we could use a liquid fat.
39 Now, that would mean that -----
40
41 Q. But it cannot just be sustained at a temperature which is
42 sufficient to keep it liquid but not hot enough to burn?
43 A. No, the temperature at the moment would still be,
44 I think it is, about 300 degrees which is still, obviously,
45 hot enough to burn, if not hot enough to cook. That is
46 around about the minimum temperature that you would need to
47 get it through the machine, otherwise the machine clogs up
48 and then you could have even greater danger.
49
50 MS. STEEL: I think, is it right, the advice is to heat the oil
51 to cooking temperature and then switch the machine off; is
52 that right?
53 A. I cannot remember, to be honest. I mean, normally,
54 what would happen with filtering is that if it is done at
55 night, which is a normal process, that obviously they would
56 switch it off after business and it would already be at
57 cooking temperature.
58
59 Q. Can I just ask a question about travel paths? Are they
60 carried out by someone in a position -- is it floor control
